


an improvised tango in gold

by lovelyanxieties



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Didn't Sign Up For This, Bokuto is a Nervous Gay, Daichi Judges His Friends, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Kuroo Supports His Friends, M/M, Minor Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Minor Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi, Mutual Pining, Rich Bokuto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26483833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyanxieties/pseuds/lovelyanxieties
Summary: Akaashi felt many contradicting feelings cross through him; annoyance that Bokuto was at his front door at 2 AM, the joy that he was there in the first place, anger that Akaashi was seemingly the last person to know he was in town, and the overwhelming desire to pull Bokuto across the threshold in a tight hug."Will you be my fake boyfriend?"Those feelings died, and Akaashi debated the consequences of slamming the door in Bokuto's face.| Bokuto lies to his family and tells them he is dating someone when he is not. Desperate, he turns to best friend and longterm crush, Akaashi for help. Thankfully, Akaashi agrees to be Bokuto's fake boyfriend. Unfortunately for Akaashi, Bokuto left some details out. Such as the fact that this wedding will be out of the country, and full of super-rich people.Bokuto and Akaashi are terrible at being subtle, Kuroo finds this hilarious while Daichi looks deeper into the cons of alcoholism.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 101
Kudos: 621
Collections: BokuAka Fics, maazesfini





	1. he should've slammed the door

Why Akaashi was awake at 2 AM wasn’t important. What was important was that someone was banging on his front door, loudly, at 2 AM. Akaashi had stared at the door distantly as the knocking continued, and only moved to answer it when the knocking grew louder and sporadic; too annoying to ignore.

Akaashi adjusted his glasses, not caring if his hair was a wreck - it was 2 fucking AM - and opened the door. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but MSBY Black Jackals’ Bokuto Kotaro standing at his doorstep wasn’t in his top five. Bokuto’s hair wasn’t in its usual, owlish style, instead, it was completely down, the black streaks in his hair almost unnoticeable in the white of his hair. He was wearing a dress shirt tucked into grey slacks.

“Bokuto-san -” He started, but he lost the words quickly. His face was hot, and he wished he did check his hair because it was no doubt a mess.

Akaashi felt many contradicting feelings cross through him; annoyance that Bokuto was at his front door at 2 AM, the joy that he was there in the first place, anger that Akaashi was completely unaware he was in town, and the overwhelming desire to pull Bokuto across the threshold in a tight hug.

"Will you be my fake boyfriend?"

Those feelings died, and Akaashi debated the consequences of slamming the door in Bokuto's face.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Bokuto hollered, grabbing the door and easily throwing it open. Frazzled, Bokuto stumbled into Akaashi’s apartment. He kicked the door shut, and pulled Akaashi into a tight hug. “I missed you a lot.”

Though he wanted to be annoyed, wanted to tell Bokuto to get his ass out of his apartment, Akaashi turned pink, warmth spreading through his chest, and he slid his arms up Bokuto’s back until he was gripping his broad shoulders in a hug.

They stood like that for a few minutes, Bokuto nuzzling into Akaashi’s neck every so often. When they did pull apart, Akaashi quickly pointed to his couch. Bokuto sighed, kicking off his shoes - dress shoes, Akaashi noticed, and narrowed his eyes - then sat down in the corner of the couch.

“I have a lot of questions,” Akaashi sighed, moving to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, “but maybe I’ll start with, why are you in Tokyo?”

Bokuto accepted the glass of water when Akaashi handed it to him. He chugged the entire thing in one go, gasping and setting the glass onto the coffee table. “Visiting my family.”

Distantly, Akaashi remembered Bokuto’s parents still lived in Tokyo.

“That explains the clothes.”

While Bokuto’s parents weren’t exactly what you’d call wealthy, they were well-to-do with enough money to afford a fancy apartment, nice clothes, and eat at expensive restaurants whenever they so desired. For the most part, they let Bokuto live his own life with his own wacky style, but they expected the best from him when they met in public. 

Akaashi remembered the first time he saw Bokuto dressed up; Bokuto was extremely focused during practice, running the team through the wringer like they hadn’t practiced in weeks. Once practice was over, Bokuto sprinted to the locker room. By the time Akaashi finished picking up the gym, Bokuto was leaving the locker room with his hair down, dressed in a black button-up tucked into dark grey pants. The rest, Akaashi wished to push away, but he does think about the way he walked into a wall when he’s lying awake wondering why God has betrayed him.

“Yeah,” Bokuto sighed, resting his chin on his palm.

Akaashi pulled off his glasses, cleaning them, and sat down on the couch, one couch cushion separating him and Bokuto. “Why do you want me to be your fake boyfriend?”

Turning red, Bokuto looked down the dark hallway to avoid eye contact with Akaashi. “My cousin’s getting married in a few weeks, and I was gonna take Kuroo, just to numb the pain of being single - “ Despite being well-aware Bokuto was single, Akaashi felt a small tingle of joy to have it confirmed, “but then he canceled, the bastard!”

“What does this have to do with being your fake boyfriend?”

Bokuto slumped with a groan. “Because they think I’m bringing my boyfriend.”

“You don’t have - “

“I am well aware, Akaashi, but - “ he sighed heavily, “but, you know my mom - “

 _“Barely,”_ Akaashi wanted to quip.

“She’s always asking me if I’m dating someone or if I have someone to take care of me, someone who makes me happy. All of that stuff.” Bokuto rubbed his temples. “She was giving me these puppy dog eyes, Akaashi, it was terrible.”

Akaashi knew what puppy dog eyes Bokuto was talking about because he had been on the receiving end of Bokuto’s owns countless times when they were in high school. Akaashi clearly had more control than Bokuto, because he never fell for the pleading in those eyes.

Sighing, Akaashi rested his head on the back of the couch. “Why are you asking me?” A thought crossed Akaashi’s mind that he wasn’t planning on touching ( _‘Not that I mind’_ ), and he focused on Bokuto’s slump shoulders. “Why not Atsumu-san? Or anyone else who lives in Osaka?”

“Because if I ask one of my teammates, the public will get the wrong idea, then I’ll be in an even bigger shit storm,” Bokuto huffed, posture growing weaker. The whole thing was depressing, Akaashi realized, and it would only get worse. “Akaashi, please!”

Akaashi narrowed his eyes at Bokuto. His ears were hot, his face slowly getting warm. He wasn’t opposed to the idea, and it would be an excuse to get out of the job he doesn’t even want to have, but it would also include wearing uncomfortable clothes, talking to people he doesn’t know, and sitting in a crowd of strangers watching two more strangers declare their love for one another. He’d need more convincing.

Bokuto seemed to realize this because he quickly lurched and grabbed Akaashi’s hands into his own. The warmth Akaashi had been trying to fight shot through his face. He bit hard into his bottom lip and stared into Bokuto’s pleading eyes.

“I promise we won’t talk to anyone for too long, you can eat whatever you want, it’s on me, and we won’t even have to kiss! Just tell my family we’ve been dating for a few months and that you came because I didn’t want to go alone!”

Akaashi is either weaker than he used to be, or he’s somewhat of a masochist because he finds himself nodding his head, squeezing Bokuto’s hands in assurance. “Okay, Bokuto-san, I’ll be your fake boyfriend.”

Bokuto cheers loudly, enveloping Akaashi in a tight hug and cheering his name. Akaashi quickly regrets every life decision he made that led him to this point in his life, crushed in the arms of his crush since high school after promising to be his fake boyfriend.

_“How’d it go? Did he slam the door in yer face?”_

“He tried to, but I kept it open . . . “ Bokuto trailed off, sticking his foot out to watch the rain collect on his shoes. “Uh, he said yes, so that’s good. He didn’t want to, I could tell, but he agreed after I promised him we wouldn’t have to talk to anyone for too long, and that we wouldn’t have to . . . kiss.”

A hiss came through the phone, a little scratchy thanks to the stormy weather and terrible cell-service. _“That’s rough, dude. Aren’t yer, like, in love with him, too?”_ Atsumu yelped, a smacking sound along with it. _“What was that for, Omi?!”_

_“Don’t rub salt into the wound.”_

Hinata gasped. _“Who are you and what have you done with Omi?”_ After a few more seconds of bickering, Hinata cheered, _“Don’t worry, Bokuto-san! I’m sure Akaashi-san is just embarrassed or playing hard to get!”_

_“He ain’t Tobio, Shoyo.”_

_“I know, but Akaashi-san is just . . . uh.”_

Bokuto laughed fondly. “He can be kinda mean, and he doesn’t like doing things he doesn’t want to.” Shaking his foot to get rid of the water, Bokuto looked around and spotted Kuroo waving at him as he walked down the street. “I gotta go, guys. Have fun without me.”

_“Always d - run.”_

Atsumu screamed loudly, clattering filling Bokuto’s ear followed by Hinata screaming for the coach. Distantly, Bokuto could hear Sakusa cursing Atsumu’s bloodline and telling him how he’s God’s mistake; nothing new. 

Laughing, Bokuto hung up and pulled the hood of his jacket over his head before walking out from under the bus stop. He met Kuroo halfway, hugging his friend tightly before slapping the back of his head.

“Ow!” Kuroo hissed, rubbing his head. “What the fuck was that for?”

Bokuto elbowed Kuroo forward so they could get out of the rain. “You know exactly what that was for! Because of you, I had to beg Akaashi to be my fake boyfriend, and he didn’t seem too happy about it, dude.”

“That’s . . . rough,” Kuroo nodded, leading Bokuto into a very nice looking apartment building. “Look on the bright side, you get to spend some quality time with Akaashi, your parents won’t be disappointed in you, and you don’t have to go to that wedding alone.” The two walked into the equally nice elevator, Kuroo pressing the button to one of the higher floors. “Speaking of, does he know how . . . big it’s gonna be?”

Bokuto picked at his cuticles. “I haven’t mentioned it yet.”

“He’s gonna have a heart attack,” Kuroo said calmly, pulling Bokuto to the side when a mother and her children walked into the elevator. Their floor was just below Kuroo’s.

Bokuto leaned against the wall. “I know, but if I tell him how crowded it’s gonna be, he’s gonna change his mind!”

“Akaashi wouldn’t do that to you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that guy take back his word, especially when it came to you.” The mother and children left, the door sliding shut as the two men moved to stand in the center of the elevator once again. “Would you rather him be pissed off for a couple of hours, or die the second he walks into the room?”

“Pissed,” Bokuto admitted, sighing heavily. The door slid open and the two walked into a high-ceiling, white, and gold hallway with various golden brown doors. Kuroo led the way to the end of the hallway. “Is Sawamura here?”

Kuroo unlocked the door, sighing happily when it swung forward. “No, not until tomorrow. You know he only comes on weekends.”

“Right, my bad.”

Bokuto was one of the most shocked people when Kuroo and Sawamura Daichi started going out, but he was also the quickest to accept it. It was a little strange, having his best friends date, and he third-wheeled a lot more than he’d like to admit, but all-in-all, he didn’t hate their relationship.

Kuroo’s apartment was large, expensive, and fancy, but thanks to the one inhabiting it being Kuroo Tetsuro, it was far from it. The kitchen was relatively clean, with a few dirty dishes here and there, but the living room - which had basic furniture and a broken coffee table - was filled with binders of work, random volleyball magazines, and what Bokuto wanted to say was a police uniform, but he was not curious enough to touch it.

“Have you told Akaashi anything about the wedding?” Kuroo asked from his open bedroom, no doubt changing out of his suit. Kuroo, despite his profession, hated suits and dressing up. He’d call Bokuto nearly every day during his internship back in college to complain about how stiff his suits were, and how he would burn all the suits in the world if he could.

Bokuto pushed aside some binders to sit on the couch. “No, he kicked me out pretty much the second he agreed to go with me.”

Kuroo laughed like a hyena, walking into the living room in a t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was a little damp from the rain, but he still looked like regular old Kuroo. Bokuto fondly noted that besides growing a few centimeters, Kuroo looked the same as high school, unlike himself, who was definitely buffer with more defined features.

“No that sounds like Akaashi.”

Bokuto nodded, pulling at his fingers just like Akaashi would. “We’re getting lunch tomorrow to catch up, and so I can tell him about the wedding.” Kuroo grabbed a large stack of magazines from the recliner, throwing them on the floor so he could throw himself onto the leather seat. “Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“Anytime, dude.”

“I won’t cockblock you and Sawamura, I promise.”

The first time Bokuto crashed at Kuroo’s apartment, Sawamura was staying there as well. Bokuto, having faith in his friends, walked into the bathroom to ask Kuroo a question about spare toothpaste and was forever scarred by the sight of his best friend bent over the counter, butt ass naked. They all agreed to never talk about it again, but Kuroo and Bokuto will sometimes bring it up just to see Sawamura turn red.

Kuroo waved his hand. “Aren’t you leaving for the wedding in, like, two days?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bokuto huffed, slumping into the couch, “we need to get Akaashi a suit.”

“Nothing you can’t afford,” Kuroo teased.

Though Bokuto did not dress like it, he had enough money in the bank to afford him pretty much everything he wanted. He spent his money somewhat responsibly, bought his groceries, and paid his bills (with the help of Akaashi), but he also indulged in the sillier things, especially when he shared a brain cell with Hinata.

Getting an appropriate suit for Akaashi would be as easy as getting food from McDonald’s.

Bokuto grumbled, “I always thought when I got to call Akaashi my boyfriend, it’d be the real thing.”

Kuroo hummed. “Well, at least your family will believe it!”

“I’ll have to tell them we broke up eventually! I can’t just lie to them my entire life.” 

“Stop being logical, it’s depressing.” Kuroo folded his arms behind his head, a smirk breaking across his face. He propped his feet up on the coffee table, tilting it to his side. “Besides, I’ve read enough fanfiction to know where this is going.”

“Slow burn, fake dating au, 100k+ words,” Bokuto said in the most monotone voice he could muster. “Jeez, dude, you sent me like ten of those. What’s up with you and fake dating aus?”

Kuroo shrugged. “I like the realization of it all. Not my fault you like hurt/comfort fics.”

“Why are we talking about fanfiction?”

Bokuto and Kuroo’s attention snapped to the door (they forgot to lock the door! Reason #900 Kuroo and Bokuto would be the first to die in a horror movie) where Sawamura stood. He was holding a bag of takeout food, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, and was staring at Kuroo and Bokuto curiously.

“Babe!” Kuroo awkwardly laughed, shooting Bokuto an apologetic look. Bokuto chose to keep his attention to the space Kuroo once was rather than watching him throw himself at Sawamura, kissing him as a greeting before dragging him inside. Thankfully, when Sawamura sat down, he did so on the other couch, leaving Kuroo on the recliner without a lap to sit on like a piano. “You’re early.”

“I got off early, and I had nothing to do. I texted you, you know.”

Kuroo patted his pants, searching for his phone. He did not find it. Another apologetic look was sent to Bokuto, who was too distracted by his thoughts of Akaashi and his family to care too much.

“Why are we talking about fanfiction?” Sawamura repeated.

Kuroo’s nervous front fell and he smiled at Bokuto. “Because our boy Bokuto is in a fake dating au fanfiction.”

Sawamura looked at Bokuto incredulously. “You asked Akaashi to be your fake boyfriend? You actually did that? I thought you were joking.”

“Bokuto doesn’t joke about stupid things, he’s too stupid for that,” Kuroo said it liked it was a fact. Bokuto stuck his middle finger up, though he knew he was the lead in many stupid stories. “Anyway! Bokuto has lunch with Akaashi tomorrow, then they’re off on a plane to Sokcho-Si, South Korea to indulge in food, clothes, and family!”

Sawamura’s eyebrows shot up. “Tetsuro said you’re rich, but I didn’t know - “

“We’re comfortable,” Bokuto defended.

“Only crazy rich people say that,” Kuroo fired back.

“My grandparents are rich,” Bokuto clarified, heat covering his face, “they just like to . . . Share it with the family. My parents included.” 

Sawamura hummed, opening the takeout bag. “Well, will takeout sit well with your rich stomach?” 

Kuroo laughed while Bokuto turned pink. “Give me the food,” he mumbled, holding his hand out for whatever Sawamura brought. 

Hopefully, food would distract him from his thoughts of Akaashi Keiji, and his family.


	2. akaashi is descending downwards into regret

Saturday afternoon, Akaashi found himself in the back of a restaurant, staring at Bokuto with crossed arms. The volleyball player had just delightfully informed Akaashi that not only would he have to pack up his bags and pray his passport wasn’t expired because he was going to Korea, but that he would also have to accompany Bokuto to get fitted for a suit.

Any normal person would tell Bokuto that it was absurd, that he was completely overestimating their patience and that he might as well suck up his dignity and tell his family the truth. Unfortunately, Akaashi wasn’t any normal person, so he stayed seated in front of Bokuto with full intent to stick to his words;  _ “Okay, Bokuto-san, I’ll be your fake boyfriend.” _

God, why did he agree?

Oh, right, he agreed because he’s been hopelessly in love with Bokuto from nearly the minute they met.

Akaashi told himself he’d need to look into masochism as the waitress came by. She quickly took their orders, sending a smile to Bokuto when he fumbled over his words. She was gone as quickly as she came, leaving Akaashi and Bokuto to “catch up,” as Bokuto had claimed.

“Besides a long conversation with your mother, what else should I expect?”

“The plane leaves tomorrow,” Bokuto said, fingers messing around as he nervously looked at anything but Akaashi, “and once we land, we’re pretty much free to do whatever. The next day we have dinner with my family.”

“You’re entire family?” Akaashi propped, spinning his straw.

“Uh, ye-yeah.”

Akaashi made a noise. He didn’t even know what emotion he was trying to convey through it. He was definitely angry at Bokuto for withholding this information, and he was nervous to be eyed by a large group of people, but he was strangely excited to meet Bokuto’s family. He’d only heard about them in stories, and even those were rare.

“Then it’s the ceremony and reception, and I promise we’ll leave as soon as possible, I promise!” Bokuto was frazzled from the minute he and Akaashi met up for lunch. He was constantly reminding Akaashi that he would keep his promise, that they wouldn’t talk to too many people and that they wouldn’t have to kiss or such. 

Akaashi didn’t know if he was glad or disappointed that Bokuto remembered that last promise.

“After that, we fly home, and we can pretend it never happened.” Bokuto broke off when the waitress returned with their food. She nodded her head when Bokuto asked for the check, leaving them to continue their bizarre conversation. “I’ll tell my parents we broke up a month later, something about my job getting too hectic to handle . . . or something.”

_ “We don’t have to break up,”  _ Akaashi wanted to say. He opted for saying, “That sounds . . . okay. How large is your family, anyway?”

“Oh, you know about - “ he shoved his sandwich into his mouth, “uncles and - “ he took another large bite, “aunts with - “ two large bites, “cousins.” Akaashi closed his eyes, headache already dawning on him as he tried to guess what those horribly concealed numbers could be.

“Bokuto-san, let’s try this again, how large is your family.”

Bokuto drummed the table with a guilty look. “Like . . . twenty uncles and aunts?”

“I’m leaving,” Akaashi announced, though he made no effort to leave. Despite this, Bokuto grabbed his hands, holding them in his slightly smaller hands. His look was desperate and he squeezed Akaashi’s hands in silent prayer. “How many of them . . . have children of their own?”

Bokuto slowly set down Akaashi’s hands. “Well, those are great aunts and uncles, and they all have children and a lot of . . . them have children. It’s a lot of cousins,” still looking for a way to keep Akaashi settled, Bokuto sputtered, “bu - but I’m only close with a few of them, so you’ll only have to t - talk to - “

“You can calm down, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi begrudgingly slipped his hands out of Bokuto’s hold, smiling softly at him. “While it is not ideal, I gave you my word, it’d be cruel of me to back out now.”

Bokuto’s mood spiked drastically, his hair seemingly rising in joy and eyes growing shiny. “Akaashi~i~i!” He cheered and Akaashi felt his heart pull and stomach flutter.

“I guess we should talk about the suit; I can pay you back - “

Bokuto shook his head quickly. “No, no, you couldn’t afford it.” Akaashi hovered his mouth over his food, shooting a questioning look at Bokuto. Shyly, Bokuto pulled out his phone. “I have a friend - she’s a family friend - and she makes suits, I can get a discount . . . but they’re still expensive.”

“Bokuto-san, I understand your family is wealthy, but I’m sure I can afford - “

“That’s something else,” Bokuto once again interrupted, looking shy, “my parents are well-to-do, but my grandparents - the ones who live in Korea, and the ones paying for the wedding - well . . . they’re rich. Really rich.”

Akaashi spun his food on his fork. “How - how rich?” When Bokuto didn’t answer, Akaashi felt his nerves spike. “L - like on a scale?”

“Have - have you ever seen Crazy Rich Asians?”

Akaashi actually stood this time, and probably would have left if the person desperately grabbing at him, begging him to stay as quiet as he could, wasn’t Bokuto Kotaro.

His chest was still tight with nerves. Akaashi wasn’t poor, but he wasn’t even close to being rich. His clothes were basic, his glasses the cheapest he could find, and Kenma loved to make fun of him for their varying differences in salary. He’d met Bokuto’s parents once, and his father only wanted to talk about his future career and college. His mother was nice enough, but she was far too invested in Akaashi’s skincare routine or if he knew any “nice young ladies for my Kotaro.”

His family, though? His entire - apparently crazy rich - family? Yeah, Akaashi might have regretted not working harder to close the door on Bokuto.

“One more thing,” Bokuto said, holding Akaashi’s wrist over the table just in case he decided to get up and leave. Akaashi doubted he would do such a thing, but he didn’t want Bokuto to take his hand off. Not just yet. “We’ll have to call one another by our first names.”

Both Akaashi and Bokuto turned red, looking down at their food. Akaashi felt his hands grow sweaty, giving him an unfortunate excuse to slip his hand out of Bokuto’s hold.

“O - okay, I can do that, Bo - “ the two caught one another’s eyes, and Akaashi swallowed, “K - Kotaro.”

Bokuto slammed his face into the table, earning the looks over the people around them. Akaashi turned red from shame and embarrassment. Was Bokuto that . . . disturbed by him using his given name? Did people have to stare so intensely at the two of them? 

“Th - that’s exactly what I meant, Kei - Keiji.”

This time it was Akaashi’s turn to slam his face into the table.

Later that night, Akaashi texted Bokuto his measurements along with a picture of himself, per Bokuto’s friend’s request. Akaashi walked around his apartment with nothing else to do. His bag was packed, he’d called into work with various apologies for such short notice, and had spent two hours talking to Kenma about the situation; 60% of it was Kenma laughing at him or insulting him, while 40% was actually helping him.

Admittedly, “get that dick” isn’t exactly the best advice Akaashi’s ever gotten, but it’s something.

Still nervous and needing actual advice, Akaashi went into the pits of his contacts, praying that his text would be responded to.

**Akaashi:** I need some advice.

One hour later, his phone buzzed twice.

**Sugawara K.:** Oh, oh, oh?

**Oikawa T.:** Unholy Trinity reunion?

There was a pang of regret in Akaashi’s stomach, but he found a smile forming on his lips.


	3. this might just be the plot of crazy rich asians

Sugawara was in Miyagi, Akaashi was in Tokyo, and Oikawa was in Argentina, but the three of them still found a way to get on their computers and video call without any problems. The three of them had met through the other captains, and whenever the captains hung out, Oikawa would convince Akaashi and Suga to tag along. This turned into the three of them hanging out every other Saturday to catch-up, share gossip, and talk shit about the people they hated. Oikawa fondly called them the Unholy Trinity after the three cheerleaders from the TV show Glee.

Their group chat went dead a few years ago after Oikawa got more popular, but they’d check-up once every couple of months and wished one another happy holidays. Despite their chaotic energy, Suga and Oikawa gave good advice, which is exactly what Akaashi needed.

“So Keiji gets to go to Korea with one of the hottest himbos to ever grace the earth, eat five-star food and get in good with Bokuto’s rich grandparents while I live alone with two birds teaching kids? Alright, God, I see how it is.”

Oikawa spun his hair around his finger. “No need to be jealous, Koushi, what you lack in riches you make up in for amazing cooking skills and the ability to make even the most boring nights chaotic.” While Oikawa appreciated Suga’s craziness, Akaashi could do without it. He was banned from three Miyagi grocery stores because of it. “But, seriously, Keiji, how’d you land such a lucky set of circumstances?”

“Lucky?” Akaashi huffed. “What’s lucky about having to pretend to be the fake boyfriend of the guy I’ve been in love with for years? Meeting his family? His rich family?! I don’t even know how rich, but I have a pretty good guess.”

Suga reached for his tea. “What kind of guess?”

“In Bokuto-san’s own words, have you ever seen Crazy Rich Asians?”

Suga fumbled his cup but didn’t drop it, and Oikawa stopped twirling his hair, his uninterested look turning wide and surprised. After a long pause, Suga snapped, “God, throw me a bone!”

Oikawa cackled, clapping his hands loudly as he spun around in his chair. “Oh, this is hysterical! You’ve been pining for this guy for YEARS, and now you’re going to be his fake boyfriend, in a beautiful city with his rich family!” Oikawa gasped, leaning into the camera with a devilish smirk. “Keiji, this is your chance to seduce him.”

“No,” Akaashi said, attempting a deadpan but failing miserably.

“Put yourself on a platter.”

“Stop.”

“Show him your skills in the devil’s tango,” Suga piped in.

“I’m hanging up.” Akaashi moved his arrow over the hang-up button, but just like in the restaurant with Bokuto, he didn’t make any effort to actually hang-up. After the embarrassment settled, and Oikawa and Suga stopped coming up with increasingly absurd innuendos, Akaashi started fiddling with his fingers. “I’m a little worried that I’ll say something wrong, that I’ll be too blunt and make someone angry. Bokuto-san is kinda a Mama’s Boy, he always wanted her to be happy, so I don’t want to make her angry.”

Oikawa hummed. “Yeah, you and I do share Blunt Bitch genes, and take it from someone who’s gotten into a bar fight because of my mouth, you gotta be careful with that kind of stuff.” He picked at his fingernails. “Is his Grandma or Grandpa Korean?”

“Grandma,” Akaashi said, referencing the piece of paper Bokuto gave him. It was a relatively sloppy family tree that Akaashi labeled a bit, but it was helpful. Close family was labeled in detail with their first language, their names, and interests, all the things Akaashi would need to make a good impression. “I know some Korean, not enough to keep a long conversation but enough for small-talk.”

Suga stirred whatever remaining tea he had. “You definitely want to impress her, since she’s the loaded one of the family, but his Mom really should be the biggest concern. I know it’s all fake, but in case this does end in you and Bokuto getting together, you have to make sure she likes you.” He gasped suddenly. “What if she hates you! What if you have to win her over in a game of mah-jongg, but will ultimately throw because you know Bokuto values his family!”

“THIS ISN’T CRAZY RICH ASIANS!”

Oikawa hummed in a high-pitch. “Isn’t it, though?”

“I needed advice, damnit,” Akaashi snapped.

Oikawa spun in his chair once again so he could prop his legs up on his desk. “Fine, fine. Since they’re rich, you’ll have to make sure you don’t look like trash when you first meet them, so probably leave the clothes to Bokuto’s family, and you should ask Bokuto how to talk to his family, like how blunt you can be in front of them and all that.”

Suga nodded, humming against the rim of his mug. “Stay close to Bokuto, especially in large crowds, it’ll help keep up the dating thing. Grandparents usually love it when their grandkids get all cute with their partners, so hold onto his sleeves and all that cute shit you only find in fanfictions or movies.”

“Like Crazy Rich Asians?” Akaashi suggested.

“How dare you!” Oikawa cried. “You will NOT disrespect Rachel Chu like that! She was a badass, confident, take-all woman who did not result in clinging to her bitchass fiance.”

“Nick was not a bitchass!” Suga wailed. “He loved Rachel and chose her over his judgemental family because that’s LOVE!”

Akaashi’s fingers hovered over the mousepad, mind-tingling with the strong desire to actually hang up on these idiots. He decided not to; they were annoying sometimes, yes, and their advice was shit, but they were amusing and got partially serious when they realized Akaashi was seriously asking for advice. 

Akaashi didn’t consider a lot of people his friends, just acquaintances here and there along with high school friends he only saw on occasion, but Akaashi knew Oikawa Toru and Sugawara Koushi were his best friends.

“OH MY GOD!” Oikawa screamed and there was instantly a loud barrage of Spanish coming from all directions of Oikawa’s apartment. The three sat in silence, waiting for Oikawa’s rightfully angry neighbors to calm down. “Anyways,” Oikawa said, “if Akaashi is Rachel, and Bokuto is Nick, which one of us is Peik?”

Suga raised a brow. “Me, obviously.”

“How?”

“Watch the movie, I’m a perfect Peik.”

“Keiji! Defend me!”

Akaashi sighed. “Koushi is Peik, goodbye.” Then he hung up, slamming his laptop shut with a loud and long sigh. He’d need to buy so many bottles of headache medicine if he was going to survive.

His phone buzzed and Akaashi swiftly pulled it out.

**Oikawa T.:** RUDE! If you’re not gonna appreciate me, I’m gonna call Iwa-chan!

**Sugawara K.:** GOD ABOVE SPARE ME MY DIGNITY!

Akaashi let out a hardy, well-honest laugh.

He’d still need to get some medicine.


	4. bokuto kotaro is related to liars

Bokuto came to pick Akaashi up for the airport at the ripe time of 3:26 AM. Akaashi thought his outfit was enough, a semi brand new turtle neck and black pants, but he was proven wrong when he saw Bokuto dressed in a designer hoodie, Calvin Klein sweatpants, and his hair was down nicely. It was all so casual, but he still managed to look like a model.

Swallowing thickly, Akaashi allowed Bokuto to put his luggage in the trunk of the taxi, mumbling a quiet thanks to a tired-looking driver. Bokuto sat close to Akaashi, arm casually thrown over Akaashi’s shoulders. Stiff, Akaashi watched from the corner of his eye as Bokuto texted what appeared to be a group chat.

“I’m just telling my family we’re on our way,” he mumbled once he noticed Akaashi staring, “do you need me to remind you who’s gonna be there?” Akaashi was both offended and touched by the genuine concern in Bokuto’s tone. The offended feeling washed away when Akaashi realized that, yes, he did. Awkwardly, he nodded. “My parents - Ena and Taishiro - along with my brother and his fiance, Kisho, and Hao.”

Akaashi rubbed his eyes. “Hao is Vietnamise, right?”

“Mhm. Oh!” Bokuto patted Akaashi’s head and he turned to look up. “When you meet my parents, call them Bokuto, they’ll tell you it’s flattering but they’d rather you use their first names. It makes them feel old when people use their last names.”

Akaashi folded in on himself. “I don’t think I can do that.”

Bokuto rubbed his shoulder. “I know, but you’ll have to try. If you need advice, ask Hao, she’s been through what you’re about to go through, so she’ll be able to help you. She’s really nice.”

_ ‘The Astrid to my Rachel,’  _ Akaashi distantly thought, remembering the stupid argument Oikawa and Suga had after their Peik argument about whether or not Oikawa could be considered Astrid. Suga and Akaashi determined that, no, Oikawa would not be considered Astrid.  _ ‘Would that make Bokuto-san’s brother Michael? Is that rude?’ _

Akaashi shook his head. It was a useless thought he had no intention of voicing, especially not to Bokuto, who had seen Crazy Rich Asians once and fell asleep after the wedding scene. (to this day, Akaashi can’t figure out how he could do that, the movie got even better after that)

When Akaashi zoned back in, Bokuto was leaning close in, eyes scrunched like he was examining something. Akaashi’s instincts kicked in and his body chose to freeze. A hot flush covered his face as Bokuto came in closer.

“Are you wearing makeup?”

“Oh, um, ye - yes, I am. My eyebags were quite heavy so I decided to cover them up, they made me look sloppy.” Akaashi rubbed underneath his eyes, feeling the weird texture of the makeup he had rushed to buy. His fingers moved upwards, playing with the rim of his glasses. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t do the same with my glasses.”

A bright look crossed Bokuto’s face. “I brought something!” He announced and pulled a black case from his pocket. “My friend, the one who made your suit, told me to give you these.” Bokuto pulled open the lid to reveal sleek, rounded-box glasses. The frames were rims but the frames were large. They could be described as dorky, but they somehow managed to be mature.

“What if they’re the wrong - “

“I know your prescription,” Bokuto interrupted, pulling Akaashi’s glasses off by the bridge. “I bought these with you, remember?” Akaashi did remember, he wanted to bring Kenma but he realized right before he sent the text that the fake-blonde would bully him no matter what glasses he settled on.

Bokuto slid the new glasses on, and Akaashi was surprised to see that the glasses fit his face perfectly, the vision better than the ones he was previously wearing. Once Bokuto’s hand dropped, Akaashi pulled the glasses just slightly down. Bokuto turned slightly pink, eyes wide.

“You look . . . great, ‘Kaashi.”

Akaashi held the sides of the glasses, flexing them a bit as his neck grew hot. “Th - thank you, Bokuto-san.”

“Oh, right,” Bokuto said, leaning into his seat, “we should probably start using our first names, just so we’re prepared. Yeah, Keiji?”

It was a drastic change from yesterday. Bokuto was blushing just a bit, but he didn’t slam his face into the nearest solid object. Akaashi felt his heart tighten, butterflies soaring in his stomach.

His throat was dry, voice quiet, but he managed to say, “Right, Kotaro.”

The cab driver looked at the two questionably through the mirror, dropping his gaze when the two males turned red with embarrassment. It didn’t last, though, and the man suddenly asked, “Are you Bokuto Kotaro?”

While Bokuto pulled their luggage out of the trunk, Akaashi thanked the cab driver for tolerating them. The cab driver laughed, telling Akaashi to thank Bokuto for the autograph he intended to give his daughter.

“My family is waiting at the gate,” Bokuto said, leading Akaashi into the crowded airport by the hand (“Just so we don’t get lost!” Bokuto claimed when he first grabbed his hand, though his palm was sweaty and skin unusually warm) “The flight’s only two hours and forty minutes, we’re flying first-class - “ Akaashi allowed Bpkuto to drag him through the airport, the two of them flying through the airport at a suspiciously fast pace, “and when we get there, we take a car directly to the hotel.”

The two arrived at security, and Akaashi got his answer to his questions about how quickly they were going when Bokuto strolled up to a smiling security guard. “Kotaro! How are you?” 

Bokuto let go of Akaashi’s hand, setting their bags down to hug the man tightly. “I’m good Igarashi, how’re Kae and Shima?” Akaashi stood awkwardly as the two caught up, completely ignorant of the glares they were receiving from other people. When Bokuto realized, he tugged Akaashi forward. “Hey, this is my b - boyfriend, Keiji.”

Igarashi smiled, shaking Akaashi’s hand. “Nice to meet you! Kotaro’s uncle runs this airport, and we see his parents a lot so the Bokuto family kinda gets to soar through.” He winked at the two, tipping his hat. “Throw away drinks and head on forward to the gate.”

“Bokuto-san, why didn’t you tell me your family-owned this airport?”

“They don’t own it,” Bokuto said, holding Akaashi’s hand with the same firmness, though he was no longer dragging Akaashi around like one of his suitcases, “my uncle is the head manager, but he doesn’t own it.” The two pressed close to one another when a large family passed them. Two of the older girls, probably daughters, looked Akaashi and Bokuto up and down, giggling as they walked away. “Uh,” Bokuto said in an awkward tone, “this is the gate, right here.”

The gate was far from crowded, only a few people sitting around, waiting for the flight that would be taking off in an hour. Even “better”, all of them looked wealthy. Akaashi instinctively moved closer to Bokuto, Suga’s advice ringing in his head:  _ “Stay close to Bokuto, especially in large crowds, it’ll help keep up the dating thing. Grandparents usually love it when their grandkids get all cute with their partners, so hold onto his sleeves and all that cute shit you only find in fanfictions or movies.” _

Akaashi was pink, but he slipped his hand out of Bokuto’s and clung onto his sleeve. Bokuto glanced down at him, smiled softly, then led Akaashi towards a group of four, all dressed like Bokuto - casually, but still managing to look like professional models.

“Kotaro!” One of the two women cheered, throwing herself at Bokuto.

Looking at her, Bokuto’s mother definitely had the dominant genes in the family. Her hair was long, straight in a bun. Her hair was black, Bokuto’s natural haircut and her eyes were bright gold. Despite a few wrinkles along with crows feet, Bokuto’s mother was young-looking.

A tall man walked over to Ena and Bokuto, resting his hand on her shoulder to break the hug. Bokuto’s father had dark brown hair, blue eyes framed by small silver specs. He and Bokuto stared at one another for a few seconds before shaking hands tightly.

Taishiro was stiff, a vast difference to the smiling and bubbly Ena.

_ ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,’  _ Akaashi thought.

“Ko!” The last two of the group yelled, throwing their arms around Bokuto in a hug so aggressive Bokuto stumbled backward. Kisho kept his black hair undyed, but it was slicked back with an undercut. Akaashi distantly remembered Johzenji’s old captain, Terushima, with the exact hairstyle.

Hao was beautiful, Akaashi wouldn’t hesitate to say that. Her brown hair had a slight curl, held in a high ponytail, and her bright green eyes crinkled up cutely when she smiled at Bokuto, teasing him about something Akaashi had missed to pick up on.

“Oh! You must be Keiji! Kotaro hasn’t told us much, but I can already tell you’re a wonderful man!” Ena said, turning all of the group’s attention to him. She quickly cupped Akaashi’s face and pulled him close. “Such fair skin . . . the symmetry of your face is astounding . . . your hair is quite soft.”

“Mom,” Bokuto sighed, grabbing his mother’s shoulders and carefully pulling her away from a stiff, red-faced Akaashi, “you’re scaring him.”

Ena flushed, throwing her hands up. “Oh, I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it, he’s such a beautiful man.”

“Uh, th - thank you, ma’am.”

Ena shook her head. “No, no, you must use my first name! Using my last name . . . it makes me feel old.” Akaashi shot Bokuto a look, and he smiled knowingly. “This is my husband Taishiro.”

Akaashi held his hand out for Taishiro instantly, noting that their hands were nearly the exact same size, maybe Akaashi’s hands were slightly bigger. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Taishiro laughed, breaking the tough exterior Akaashi thought Bokuto failed to mention. “Ah, no, I’m just like my wife, please use my first name, Keiji-san.”

“Ye - yes, s - Tai - shir - o.”

The Bokutos laughed at the awkward, stiff way Akaashi used Taishiro’s name. He’d have a hard time getting used to it. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to worry about it after this trip.

The reminder saddened Akaashi just a bit, but he pushed it aside when Kisho hugged him tightly. It was the kind of hug Konoha or Washio would give - a “bro hug”, the two would say whenever Akaashi asked them about it, with a hard slap on the back and a tight squeeze.

“Keiji, my dude! I honor you! Anyone who can deal with my little bro deserves an award!”

“Hey!” Bokuto snapped. Hao laughed.

Akaashi nodded. “I’ve been babysitting B - Kotaro since high school.”

“High school? I thought you two started dating only a few months ago.”

“Well - yes,” Akaashi sputtered, “but we’ve known one another since my first year of high school.”

Ena gasped. “That’s so long! When did you realize your feelings?”

“Oh, um, I - I don’t know exactly when, but . . . well before we started dating.”

Behind his family, Bokuto gave Akaashi a double thumbs-up, nodding his head excitedly while mouthing, “You’re doing great!”

Once pleasantries were exchanged, the family sat back down, exchanging questions for a few minutes before falling into their own worlds. Ena and Taishiro discussed schedules while Kisho and Hao sat a few seats away, Kisho’s arm wrapped around her shoulders while she rested her head on his chest.

Bokuto and Akaashi sat in a different set of seats, keeping the physical contact as casual but subtle as possible. Akaashi was leaning against the bar of his seat, legs propped over the other, and resting in Bokuto’s lap. Distantly, Bokuto rubbed Akaashi’s ankles.

They spoke in quiet voices. “When we meet my family, everyone will be speaking a mix of Korean and Japanese. I’m fluent in both, so if you need me to help you, just let me know, okay?” Akaashi nodded, tugging his fingers to distract of the jolts of feeling that raced through him whenever Bokuto’s thumb brushed over his lateral malleolus (that random bump on the side of your ankle) “My mom seems nice now, but she’s going to change depending on what my aunts and grandma think of you first go-around.”

Akaashi spun his fingers over his thumb like a bottle cap. “Oh, okay.”

“All that matters is what my grandma thinks of you, if she likes you, everyone else will be nice, but I can’t promise there won’t be gossip. I’ll try to keep my cousins under control, but I don’t have a lot of control over my aunts and uncles.”

Nerves spiked in Akaashi. “Why didn’t you tell me this in the taxi? Or yesterday in the restaurant?”

Bokuto drew the word “Fukurodani” on Akaashi’s ankle. “I was afraid if I told you all of this yesterday, you’d change your mind.”

“I told you,” Akaashi raised one of his feet into Bokuto’s stomach, “I’ll never go back on my word.” He smiled softly, reaching out to rub Bokuto’s knuckle. “Especially when it’s you, Kotaro.”

Bokuto’s attention instantly snapped upwards, staring into Akaashi’s eyes. They stared like that, slowly getting closer to one another. Just as Akaashi’s gaze fell down to Bokuto’s lips, a loud crackling filled the area.

“First-class, veterans, and those with disabilities are free to board the plane.”

Ena clapped, gathering everyone up with a bright smile. Akaashi’s face was hot, palms extremely sweaty. He clung to Bokuto’s sleeve again without much thought, taking notice of the way Bokuto stared at the floor.

A tight squeeze on the shoulder snapped Akaashi back. He turned his head upwards to see Hao smiling at him. “Don’t get so nervous, I went through this same scenario when Kisho and I started dating. The Bokuto family can be a little much - a lot of them have depressive episodes, and some of them can be judgemental - but most of them are kind and open.”

Blushing just slightly, Akaashi nodded. Bokuto grabbed his hand and pulled Akaashi towards the boarding desk.

_ ‘I can do this, I can do this, I can do this,’  _ Akaashi repeated, a confident smile crossing his face. That confidence quickly drained when Akaashi looked at En and Taishiro. They were staring at him, any warmth they had presented gone. They were examining him, judging him, watching his movements like a science experiment.  _ ‘I can’t do this.’ _


	5. akaashi is out of his element

Boarding the plane and getting seated was easy. Ena and Taishiro sat in front of the two couples, keeping to themselves in a silence that contrasted drastically to their previous lively conversation. Kisho and Hao were a row behind and to the right, already getting comfortable for the flight. Three rows away from the engaged lovebirds were Akaashi and Bokuto. 

Bokuto, seemingly used to the first-class business, reached over Akaashi’s shoulder to grab a soft neck pillow. He pushed Akaashi’s head forward for a few seconds to place the fuzzy - and extremely warm - pillow onto his shoulders. “It’ll help you sleep,” Bokuto mumbled, grabbing a pillow of his own. 

Akaashi fiddled with his fingers once again. He didn’t hate flying, but his motion sickness didn’t exactly make it an enjoyable experience. Bokuto knew this, and he came prepared. He handed Akaashi a small water bottle along with medicine the younger man had never seen before. It wasn’t over the counter, that was for sure.

“Hao uses it,” Bokuto explained as Akaashi shook two green pills into his hand, “they’ll knock you out in minutes. You’ll wake up feeling a little stiff, but it’s better than suffering the entire flight.”

Akaashi hesitated to place the pills on his tongue. “Won’t you get bored, Bokuto-san?”

“I’ve flown like this plenty of times, uneven amount of people.”

The imagery of Bokuto sitting on a plane next to a stranger, either occupying himself with trivial things or knocked out, was admittedly cute to Akaashi. He always found a calm Bokuto to be a strange but charming Bokuto.

“If you say so.” Akaashi placed the two pills on his tongue, noticing the slight herbish taste of the pills. Downing them with water, Akaashi situated himself into a more comfortable position. Two minutes later, he started feeling the effects of the pills. “I . . . can see . . . why Hao . . . takes these . . . p - “

Akaashi’s body fell sideways into Bokuto, head resting on his shoulder like a missing puzzle piece. He fought to keep his eyes open, but when the lights of the plane dimmed and a hand started playing with his hair, Akaashi found himself dozing off without resistance.

Bokuto tried not to think too much about Akaashi sleeping on his shoulder. He tried not to think too much about how with every soft breath, Akaashi’s soft hair would rub against the skin of Bokuto’s neck, sending waves of sparks through his body. He tried not to think too much about the cute snores that came from Akaashi. He tried not to think too much about how tempted he was to pull over the bar separating him and Akaashi and cuddle him till the flight ended.

Biting into his knuckle, Bokuto stared out of the window. The sun was finally rising, and thanks to the plane being over the clouds, the sky was a clear pinkish-orange. Bokuto basked in the view for a few minutes before it got boring and he returned to staring at Akaashi.

His glasses were still on, so Bokuto reached out and slipped them off, meeting no resistance from Akaashi. Whatever pills Hao slipped him after he mentioned Akaashi’s motion sickness was doing the trick. Bokuto carefully put the glasses in a black case then into his carry-on bag.

Just as Bokuto had calmed down, thoughts clearing up just a bit, Akaashi nuzzled into Bokuto, palm rolling so it was facing upwards. In a tired, low voice, Akaashi mumbled, “Warm.”

Bokuto bit hard into his lip, enough to nearly draw blood, and cursed the logistics of planes that prevented him from texting Kuroo about the overwhelming amounts of GAY PANIC that was going on in Bokuto’s mind.

His eyes snapped down, focused on Akaashi’s open, waiting hand. Swallowing thickly, Bokuto lifted the bar, stiffening for just a few seconds when Akaashi’s body crashed against his. He wrapped his arm around the shorter man, pulling him close before slipping his free hand into Akaashi’s.

Bokuto buried his face in Akaashi’s hair. He wasn’t surprised to find it smelt of sugar; Akaashi had been using the same sweet-scented shampoo since high school. Bokuto always commented on how nice it smelt, but he got the feeling Akaashi didn’t take it as flirting despite that being his intention.

With a heavy sigh, Bokuto turned his head so his cheek was against Akaashi’s head, gaze focused out the window. Distantly, he wondered if he screwed himself over with this plan of his.

Just as Bokuto promised, when Akaashi awoke from easily one of the best slumbers of his life, his joints were stiff as a rock. Bokuto took care of grabbing their overhead bags, laughing when Akaashi’s joints crackled and popped with every movement. It was a little painful to walk for a few minutes, but by the time the Bokuto family was leading Akaashi down a relatively narrow hallway, he was keeping pace with them, specifically Bokuto.

Akaashi wanted to grab him, pull him back, and insist they talk about the situation Akaashi woke up to. To say he was flustered was an understatement. When Akaashi woke up, about two minutes after the plane landed, he was nuzzled close to Bokuto, one side of his face numb from being pressed into his sturdy chest for so long.

Bokuto was resting his cheek on Akaashi’s head, fingers spinning Akaashi’s curls absentmindedly. One arm was thrown over his shoulders, pulling him close like a lifeline while the other arm was over his lap, hand holding Akaashi’s own.

When Bokuto realized Akaashi was awake, he slowly pulled away, mumbling an apology and a clearly fake excuse about how he didn’t want Akaashi to hurt his back. 

Akaashi wanted to talk about it. He wanted to know what it meant or if it even meant anything. Was it for the sake of his family? What was the point if they didn’t spare the two a look the entire flight - Akaashi knew this because despite the extremely romantic situation Bokuto created for the two of them, his parents still exclaimed him like a new life form - or if Bokuto cuddled Akaashi because he felt the same way.

It was a hopeful thought, Akaashi realized, and that kept him from asking.

When the group finally exited the airport, they were met by a sleek black car where a man dressed in a white and silver suit waited with a smile. Ena cooed loudly, dropping her things carefully to the ground so she could rush at the man, pulling him down by the neck for a hug.

Bokuto held Akaashi’s shoulder, leaning close to his ear. “That’s Kazuya, my cousin, the one getting married.” Akaashi nodded his head rapidly to show his understanding, but also to hide the burning blush covering his face. He was usually better at this, keeping his reactions to Bokuto under wraps, but with the memory of how soft yet sturdy Bokuto had been, holding him close like a precious object, it was hard to do so.

“Kotaro!” Kazuya whooped, running at Bokuto. Just like Kisho and Hao, the hug had so much momentum, the two men stumbled backward, nearly falling onto the hard pavement. The two laughed, cheering. 

Now that Akaashi was looking, Kazuya was the spinning image of Bokuto. His hair was an inverted version of Bokuto’s hair, mostly black with silver streaks. His eyes were a more subtle gold, honey brown, but he was just as built with a smile Akaashi could remember like the back of his hand.

The two men pulled apart and Kazuya turned to Akaashi with open arms. “Akaashi Keiji! Kotaro’s told me all about you!” Awkwardly, Akaashi moved to reciprocate the hug. He was completely unprepared to be crushed then lifted off of his feet. Kazuya laughed, loud and happy. He set Akaashi down then winked at Bokuto. “Don’t worry, Ko, in just a few short days, I’ll be a married man!”

Akaashi turned to Bokuto, surprised to see him looking quite jealous. When he made eye contact with the shorter male, however, he dropped it and smiled. Akaashi smiled back, moving to wrap his arm around Bokuto’s. 

The lack of hesitance to place his head against Bokuto’s arm spoke volumes to Akaashi. Bokuto stiffened for a bit, whether that was because of Akaashi initiating the contact or the looks they were receiving, but eased almost instantly. He pressed his lips to Akaashi’s temple.

Hao cooed. “Why aren’t we that cute?” Instantly dropping his duffle bag, Kisho cupped Hao’s face and kissed her forehead tenderly. Humming happily, Hao turned to Akaashi. “Bokuto men are full of love.”

“Yes, they are!” Ena cheered, her happy energy coming back by the second. Taishiro’s was coming back as well. Akaashi had suspected the two would be judging him just like Bokuto’s other family members were sure to do, and it was slowly being confirmed for him. “Now, everyone in the car, we can’t keep Ji waiting.”

“Not my lovely fiance!” Kazuya laughed, pushing Akaashi and Bokuto forward with a hearty laugh. “You’ll love her, Keiji, I’m sure! She’s the sweetest.” Akaashi looked at Bokuto for confirmation that he was quick to give.

The inside of the car was open, wrapped around leather seats that fit everyone. The driver greeted Ena and Taishiro fondly, nodding to Kisho and Bokuto when he spotted them. Other than that, the group had no further interaction with him. Akaashi sat between the wall and Bokuto, gripping his sleeves tightly. Kazuya, Kisho, and Bokuto carried most of the conversation, occasionally turning to Hao and Akaashi for their opinions.

Akaashi did not prepare enough for the hotel. It was large - “80 stories,” Kisho said as the family checked in - with golden walls and floors with white accents. Everyone walking around was either a well-dressed employee or an extremely attractive person executing wealth.

Once finished checking it, the family took the elevator to the 79th floor, where they were greeted with a circular room with multiple doors. The employee and bell-hop gave everyone their room keys before taking their luggage into their rooms. Akaashi handed his keycard to Bokuto, not at all trusting himself with something so expensive-looking.

Kazuya was in the middle of explaining something to Kisho and Hao when a fairly tall woman ran up behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck so she could place a soft kiss to his cheek. Kazuya reacted instantly, spinning around to pick the woman up and kiss her properly.

Bokuto smiled brightly and ushered Akaashi towards the kissing couple. “Ji!” Bokuto cheered, throwing his arms open for a hug. The woman - Ji - released Kazuya instantly and hugged Bokuto tightly. Then Akaashi was thrown for a loop when Bokuto started speaking in perfect Korean.

With his basic knowledge of Korean, Akaashi could tell Bokuto was telling Ji it was great to see her again, that it had been too long since the three of them - he assumed the third being Kazuya - got to hang out. Then Bokuto was wrapping his arm around Akaashi’s waist. This sentence Akaashi could understand because Bokuto had repeated it every time someone recognized the Bokuto family. “This is my boyfriend, Akaashi Keiji.”

“Ah!” Ji cheered, pulling Akaashi in tightly. “You’re just as handsome as Kotaro promised!” Her Japanese was a little rough, her accent nothing to brag about, but her sentence was clear and welcoming. 

Akaashi’s ears turned red and he saw Bokuto waving his hands in a ‘shut up’ gesture, face bright red, out of the corner of his eye. “Thank you, Ji. I hope Kotaro speaks highly of me.”

“I don’t think he can speak of you in any other way,” Kazuya laughed, pulling Ji towards one of the doors. “Our room is right next to you guys, so feel free to come to hang out, yeah?”

Bokuto nodded, rubbing Akaashi’s shoulder. The other couples said their goodbyes, promising to meet up for breakfast the next day, before entering their own rooms. Akaashi watched Bokuto pull out one of the card keys, waiting with bated breath to see the room. He was sure he would be prepared.

Yeah, he was not.

The room was large, a king-size bed with golden floral blankets, blurry glass doors, curtains that were probably worth more than Akaashi’s yearly salary, and much more expensive decor that left Akaashi standing in the middle of the room in a daze.

“A lot to take in, yeah,” Bokuto sighed, falling onto the well-made bed as if it were the one back at his house. Akaashi hesitantly sat on the bed, grabbing one of the many pillows to place on his lap and prop his arms on. “If you’re uncomfortable with sharing a bed, I can sleep on the couch, or I could - “

Akaashi snickered. “I’m sure the bed is big enough for the both of us, Bokuto-san.”

Ears a little pink, Bokuto’s mouth formed into an ‘o’. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

Bokuto groaned as he sat up, rolling his shoulders. “Well, we have the rest of the day to ourselves. Any suggestions of what we should do?”

Akaashi turned around to look out the large window. The window was a sliding door that led to a large balcony. The view was of the beautiful private beach of the hotel. The water was clear, filled with coral and rocks and sea life.

Bokuto quickly followed Akaashi’s gaze and laughed. “The beach it is!”


	6. gay owls

Akaashi wasn’t as fit as he was in high school. He wouldn’t call himself out-of-shape, he ate healthily and got plenty of exercise, but his abs had grown softer, less defined, and his arms were thinner than they were his third year of high school. Nonetheless, as Akaashi waited at the wooden doc for Bokuto, he earned plenty of bashful or flirtatious looks from girls. Some had the confidence to approach Akaashi, but a majority of them walked away when their pick-up lines didn’t register with him.

“Agaashi!”

A smile broke out. Akaashi always had a soft spot for the way Bokuto mispronounced his name when excited.

“Yes, Bokuto-sa - “ 

An unhealthy amount of blood rushed through Akaashi’s face, so much he was worried he’d live up to the anime stereotype of nose bleeding when flustered. Bokuto was waving at him, walking over with a large smile.

He was attracting attention, but not from the yelling. Bokuto had always been muscular, always been tall and broad with a body that gained the attention of everyone, and it only got better over time.

“Hey, hey, hey, you didn’t have to wait for me! I could’ve found you on the beach.”

Akaashi didn’t think it was possible for Bokuto’s chest to get bigger, but here he was, chest wide, defined, and enough to leave Akaashi with thoughts he would forever keep to himself.

“I - it’s fine, Bo - Bokuto-san, it’s be - better if we stay together.”

Bokuto laughed, wrapping a muscular arm around Akaashi’s shoulder to lead him down the steps and onto the warm sand. After the initial pain of standing on something so warm, Akaashi let his feet bask in the surprising softness of the beach.

He trailed close behind Bokuto, who found a spot to place the towels and cooler. Akaashi stood awkwardly, watching Bokuto put up an umbrella. His eyes scanned the beach and he spotted a group of women staring at them, faces pink as they whispered amongst one another.

When they realized Akaashi was staring, they waved. Not wanting to be rude, Akaashi waved back. When the girls started giggling, he quickly diverted his attention to Bokuto.

He was stretching out his arms, holding them high above his head and bending his back just a bit. Akaashi shyly scanned his body. He had memorized Bokuto’s body from high school, and the things he remembered still lingered. The small scar on Bokuto’s right shoulder from when he cut himself on a loose pole, the birthmark on his left hip that was strangely shaped like a twinkling star, the peppers of moles on his back. Bokuto’s body was both new and familiar to Akaashi.

“ . . . swim?”

Turning pink, Akaashi’s attention snapped up to Bokuto. He was looking at Akaashi over his shoulder with an expectant smile. Akaashi opened and closed his mouth. He missed the question entirely.

“Do you know how to swim?”

“Of course I know how to swim!” Akaashi hollered, face flushed with embarrassment. “Do I give the impression that I don’t?”

Bokuto laughed, finally dropping his arms and turning to look at Akaashi. The younger male’s eyes dropped for a split second to look at Bokuto’s chest. Involuntarily, Akaashi’s tongue darted across his lips. He looked back up and hoped Bokuto didn’t notice.

“Kinda,” Bokuto responded, “whenever we invited you to the pool, you always said no. I always assumed it was because you were too embarrassed to tell us you can’t swim.”

Akaashi opened his mouth to protest, but he had to close it. He couldn’t tell Bokuto that the real reason he denied the invitation was that he was too worried about seeing Bokuto shirtless and wet. They shared a locker room, but Akaashi always made a point of keeping his eyes forward and leaving as soon as possible.

Akaashi tucked some hair behind his ear. “I know how to swim.”

“If you say so.” Bokuto slapped Akaashi’s shoulder lightly. He grabbed a bottle from a bag, shaking it in front of Akaashi. “Turn around, I know how easily you burn.”

Akaashi didn’t know whether to be excited or horrified at the prospect of Bokuto touching his body. “I - I can do it myself,” he insisted.

Bokuto shook his head, already squirting a bit of sunscreen onto his hand. “You’ll miss your back, can’t have you burning!” Seeing no chance to argue, Akaashi turned around, shoulders stiffening when Bokuto started rubbing them. “Stick your arms out.” Akaashi put his arms out, watching from the corner of his eye as Bokuto’s hand moved down to his wrist. His hand was still smaller than Akaashi’s, but it wrapped around his arm like a custom made bracelet.

Akaashi zoned out, staring dead ahead at the people moving around, the couples teasing one another, the children building sandcastles as their parents relaxed. He was distantly aware of Bokuto’s hands moving down from his arms to his back, sending tingles up his body whenever his calloused fingers rubbed his spine.

It wasn’t until Bokuto’s hands were wrapped around Akaashi’s waist did he come back to earth. His face turned an embarrassing shade of red and he clenched his eyes shut, trying to force his face to at least go down to pink.

Suddenly Bokuto’s hands moved fast up Akaashi’s body, wrapping around his neck. Akaashi instantly tilted his head backward, giving Bokuto’s fingers more room to press against his throat. Akaashi bit hard into his lip, blood slowly dripping into his mouth. He swallowed down the moan that would no doubt make him the embarrassment of the beach.

“Are you okay?” Bokuto asked, expression laced with concern. He released Akaashi’s neck and opened up the cooler to hand him some water. Akaashi gratefully took it, chugging it to ease his sore throat and wash away the blood. “You can do the rest, or do you want me to - “

“No, I can do it,” Akaashi swiftly answered, switching his water bottle for the sunscreen. Bokuto stared at the water bottle, shrugged, then placed it onto the towel. Akaashi was quick in finishing up with the sunscreen. His blush deepened when he looked at Bokuto. “Do you want me to - ?”

“Just my back,” Bokuto quickly responded, turning so he was facing away from Akaashi.

Akaashi quickly sat down behind Bokuto, noticing quite quickly that his ears were red. Ignoring it to the best of his abilities, Akaashi covered his palm in sunscreen and hesitantly placed his hands on Bokuto’s back.

The older male sat up straight from the touch, but Akaashi continued to rub the sunscreen in. The silence lingering between the two of them made the situation a lot more awkward than necessary, but then again, speaking would probably make it even weirder.

“I’m done,” Akaashi said quietly, handing Bokuto the bottle of sunscreen as he slowly backed away. Bokuto nodded, mumbling a ‘thank you’ before he stood to apply the sunscreen himself. Akaashi turned around, face flushed, and his attention went back to the same group of girls that had been looking.

A majority of them had fled, leaving only three of them to sit. Two of them were occupied watching one of their other friends flirt with some guy, but Akaashi quickly made eye contact with the last one. It was hard not to, what with her staring at Akaashi like her newest meal.

Then she stood up and started walking over. Akaashi quickly tapped Bokuto’s shoulder, and he turned around with a curious expression. Before Akaashi could even get a sound out, the girl was there, but not in front of Akaashi, but Bokuto.

“Hi,” she said in Korean.

“Hi!” Bokuto said back.

Akaashi nibbled his lip, hoping he’d be able to understand the conversation happening in front of him.

The girl pulled her sunglasses up, and Akaashi recognized the glint in her eyes as pure lust. He tucked his hands behind his back, nervously tugging at his fingers as his ears turned pink. Bokuto was seemingly oblivious to this girl’s gaze.

When she spoke again, Akaashi could only recognize a few words; ‘friend’ and ‘come over’. It helped that she pointed to where her friends, who were now watching them, sat. Akaashi worked out that she wanted Bokuto and Akaashi to join them.

Desperately, Akaashi hoped Bokuto would say no.

When Bokuto spoke, Akaashi felt his nerves deflate. “This is my boyfriend,” he said, casually wrapping his arm around Akaashi and pulling him close. The gesture itself was enough to make Akaashi blush, but the fact that he was pressed up against Bokuto’s  _ bare _ , chiseled chest brought a whole new reaction to Akaashi. One that required cold water, ASAP.

The girl visibly deflated, eyes locking onto Akaashi. She looked him up and down with a judgemental look in her eye. She clicked her tongue, not even sparring an, “Okay” or “I understand” before she walked away.

Bokuto held onto Akaashi for a few more seconds, both of them watching the girl sit down next to her friends, who asked her - Akaashi assumed - why her attempt at flirting flopped. She said some words, then the whole group was staring at them.

Bokuto waved curtly at them, but he was lacking a smile. Quickly, the girls looked away.

“A bit rude, don’t you think?” He asked, finally releasing Akaashi.

Akaashi grabbed his water bottle quickly. “Yeah,” his response was weak as he uncapped the bottle, quickly dunking the freezing cold water over his head. Bokuto made a surprised sound, but Akaashi could care less.

The cold water rolled down his body, and he sighed as his, uh,  _ reaction  _ went down. He turned around to look at Bokuto with a strained expression. “She was flirting with you.”

Bokuto’s mouth made a perfect ‘o’. He looked over at the group of girls, now purposefully looking away from them, then shrugged. “Not my type,” he said with a light laugh.

“What is your type?” Akaashi propped, half-jokingly.

“I like dark hair.”

“She had dark hair.”

“No, no, I mean super dark. Like . . . raven dark.”

Akaashi held a strand of his hair between his fingers, staring at it.

“It’d be cool if they played volleyball, too! Even better if they’re a setter!” Akaashi watched as Bokuto grabbed a soda from the cooler, smiling fondly. “It’d help if they could deal with my depressive episodes, too.”

“Shorter than me, too! So I can pick them up!”

“You could do that even if they were taller than you,” Akaashi pointed out. His voice was lighter than he wanted it to be.

“Yeah, but I think it’s cuter when they’re shorter than me, but not by too much. I want it to be easier for them to kiss me.”

Bokuto hadn’t grown much from high school, only about two inches, but he was still taller than Akaashi, who had - unfortunately - not grown a single centimeter since high school. The height comparison between the two wasn’t drastic, but it was enough to be noticeable. That’s when Akaashi realized . . . 

_ ‘Me. He’s describing me.’ _

“What about you, ‘Kaashi?”

Akaashi looked down quickly, blush covered by the shade of the umbrella. “Oh, nothing . . . specific. A volleyball player would be nice, probably a spiker, so I can still play in my free time. It’d be nice if they were fun, so they can get me out of the house more often. Someone I have a good connection with.”

He didn’t have the confidence to see Bokuto’s reaction, but judging by the small squeak he made, Akaashi assumed he’d gotten some sort of message from his answer.

“Let’s go swim!” Bokuto cheered, grabbing Akaashi by the wrist and leading him down the beach towards the clear water.

Akaashi smiled, jogging a bit so he was on par with Bokuto, and tugged his arm upwards just a bit so Bokuto was now holding his hand rather than his wrist. 

Bokuto turned red but made no effort to release Akaashi’s hand. Quite the opposite, he squeezed Akaashi’s hand, then pulled him into the water until the waves were crashing against their lower halves.

Akaashi could’ve stayed like that forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how mature am I allowed to get with this before I have to change the rating?


	7. like a sugar daddy?

Akaashi and Bokuto stayed at the beach until sunset. Most of it was sent lazily standing in the ocean, waves crashing against their skin while Bokuto kneeled into the water, grabbing any shiny or interesting object he found. Some of it was wasted by Akaashi dodging Bokuto’s attempts to get him in the water, which eventually ended with them both lying in the water as they laughed.

Returning to the hotel, Bokuto offered the shower to Akaashi first, and he accepted the offer. The bathroom was large, probably the same size as Akaashi’s bedroom back home, with a large sink Kenma could sit in and a shower with a sliding glass door and golden accents. The towels were fluffy and smelt like lemon. 

Akaashi didn’t shower for long, and when he came out, he noticed in his reflection that he had a line of pink that started at his eye, crossed over his nose, and ended at the other eye.

“Like a permanent blush,” Bokuto had said when the two switched rooms.

While Akaashi waited for Bokuto to finish showering, he had changed into sweatpants and a hold hoodie. The outfit made him stick out like a sore thumb in the expensive room, but he didn’t care much. He sat outside on the balcony and slumped on a white lounge chair.

He pulled his phone out and called his most recent contact.

_ “How’s Korea?” _ Suga greeted him.

“It’s nice,” Akaashi responded honestly, “the beach is very nice.”

Suga sighed.  _ “Of course it is.” _ There was a quiet squawk from Suga’s end of the phone.  _ “Yes, yes, Popi, you’re very beautiful.” _ Since he lived alone, Suga had decided to adopt two birds for himself, one a conure and the other a goldfinch, named Popi and Honeycrisp.  _ “Anyway, what’re you calling for.” _

Akaashi brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them. “I think Bokuto-san might like me, too.”

_ “No,” _ Suga said, sarcasm clearer than the ocean Akaashi was currently staring at,  _ “what could POSSIBLY tell you that?” _

“No need for sarcasm, Koushi.” Akaashi tugged at his sweatpants. “When we went to the beach, a woman approached him and asked if he wanted to join her and her friends. He said no, telling her I’m his boyfriend. When she walked away, and I told him she was flirting, he said she isn’t his type.”

_ “Oh? Oh. Oooooooooh!” _ Suga laughed happily.  _ “His type is you, isn’t it?” _ When Akaashi didn’t respond, rather burying his face into his knees to hide his stupid smile from no one, Suga cheered.  _ “You are! Oh! Did you tell him what your type was and describe him? Oh, Keiji, tell me you did!” _

“Yes, I did.”

There was a wordless cheer, a little distant, but clear.  _ “There is literally no reason you shouldn’t just grab him by his stupid face and kiss him!” _

Akaashi folded in on himself. “What if I’m wrong.”

_ “Keiji! The man literally described you when you asked him what his type is! What else could he possibly mean?” _

“Maybe he was describing a girl.”

There was a pause, then Suga whispered,  _ “I didn’t know he likes girls.” _

Akaashi laughed. He wasn’t sure Bokuto even knew what he was. Bi, maybe, or pan, Akaashi always told himself whenever he questioned it. Bokuto had one girlfriend, but that was before Akaashi even knew him, and one boyfriend in the time between Akaashi knowing who he was, but Bokuto not knowing him.

_ “EITHER WAY! You have to kiss him. If you don’t kiss him at least once before coming home, you’re not my friend anymore.” _

“Well, now I have to make sure I don’t kiss him.”

_ “Oh, FUCK off, Keiji! You know you want to kiss him.” _

“ . . . well, I do, yes.”

_ “So do it!” _

“But what if - “

There was a crash followed by loud noises of birds.  _ “Fucking - okay, Keiji, I’m gonna have to get back to you later. Have fun, remember what your end goal is, and please don’t doubt yourself. I’m 99.9% sure he likes you back.”  _ There was another crash. _ “Okay, bye, LOVE YOU TONS!” _

Then Suga hung up, and Akaashi was left holding his phone to his ear, eyebrows raised in confusion.

“What’re you doing out here?”

Akaashi jumped three feet into the air, stumbling over himself as he tried to stand straight. He turned around to see Bokuto staring at him, eyebrows raised in surprise, but smiling in amusement. He was wearing a pair of jeans, but no shirt. 

It was almost unfair how good Bokuto’s legs looked in jeans, especially his thighs. Bokuto rarely wore pants that fit him that tightly, except his volleyball uniform, and even then, those shorts didn’t show off the gift that was Bokuto Kotaro’s thighs like jeans.

“I - I was just ta - talking to Sugawara-san.”

Bokuto’s expression brightened. “Suga! How is he these days? Sawamura doesn’t talk about him nearly as much as I’d like him to.” Since Suga was 100% aware of Akaashi’s crush on Bokuto from the day they met, he made an effort to be Bokuto’s friend, and the two hit it off surprisingly well.

“He’s well, still single, but he’s happy.”

Bokuto hummed. “I thought he had a thing for Yaku.”

“From Nekoma?”

“Mhm.”

Akaashi rubbed his phone screen. “I’m not sure, he doesn’t really get too deep into his love life, besides the fact that it’s near nonexistent.”

Bokuto slapped Akaashi’s shoulder with a laugh. “Don’t be rude.”

“It’s what we do.” Akaashi looked at Bokuto’s legs up and down. Now that he was closer, he could see every way the tight denim pressed against Bokuto’s legs muscles. His eyes wandered up further, and Akaashi quickly noticed how the jeans made Bokuto’s already above-average ass 10x better. “Why - why the jeans?”

“Hm? Oh! Kazuya called me while I was in the shower, he said he wanted to take me and Kisho out, to catch up.”

Akaashi nodded. He was a little saddened at the prospect of Bokuto being gone for the rest of the night, but he’d find some way to distract himself. Maybe he’d finally indulge in the fanfictions Kuroo had been sending him for years.

What was up with him and fake dating aus, Akaashi always wondered.

“You should spend time with Ji,” Bokuto suggested, walking the two of them inside the hotel room, “she’ll love to hang out with you.”

“You think?”

Bokuto hummed. “She’s the second most excited that I have a ‘boyfriend’, so she’ll jump at the chance to know more about you.” The air quotes Bokuto put around “boyfriend” shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did, but here Akaashi was, staring at Bokuto’s raised hands with a solemn expression.

“I’ll . . . I’ll try,” Akaashi said. Bokuto smiled. He walked around the bed, bending over to pick up his bag. He pulled out a grey button-up, putting it on and buttoning it up. He did it so quickly it was like second nature. “Should I change my clothes?”

Bokuto looked at Akaashi once, and shortly before he nodded. 

“Here,” Bokuto grabbed his second bag, “I knew you didn’t have much to choose when it came to your own clothes, so I bought you some before we left.” Bokuto pulled out a bundle of clothes tied together with a blue ribbon, “I haven’t opened them yet.”

Akaashi caught the bundle when Bokuto threw it to him, staring down at the logo on the ribbon. His heart dropped when he realized it was a very expensive brand. “I don’t know if I could wear this, Bokuto-san.”

“Why not?”

“It’s so expensive . . . how could I ever pay you back?”

Bokuto chuckled. “Consider the clothes as me paying  _ you  _ back. I roped you into such a mess, so it’s only fair I give you what you need to fit in.” 

Akaashi didn’t think of it like that, but when he did, it lessened the weird guilt he was feeling. “That makes me feel better, thank you, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto hummed happily, now staring at himself in the mirror. He pulled a box out from a drawer next to him, opening it to reveal a singular silver cuff earring with a chain. Akaashi sucked in a large breath as he watched Bokuto put the earring onto his ear.

“I - I didn’t know your ears were . . . pierced.”

“Only the one,” Bokuto explained, closing the box and setting it on the counter. He turned around to face Akaashi, smiling at him. His hair was still damp from the shower, giving him a rugged look. Akaashi hated how much it affected him. “Put those clothes on, I want to make sure I got the right size.”

Nodding, Akaashi walked swiftly to the bathroom. The second he closed the door behind him, he realized how silly it was. He shared a locker room with Bokuto for two years, he’d seen him without a shirt and pants more than anyone else in his life.

Akaashi quickly put the outfit on; an all-black look with a slightly loose turtleneck, tight black pants, and a few solid black rings that Akaashi put on both his pointer fingers. The final piece of the outfit was a contrasting white jacket. The clothes fit like a dream.

“I have the shoes out here!” Bokuto called through the door.

Akaashi quickly exited the bathroom. Bokuto’s reaction was what he wasn’t expecting but wanted. Stunned with wide eyes, slightly parted lips, and the smallest of blushes. The black shoes in Bokuto’s hands swung lightly before dropping completely on the floor.

The slap they made was enough to snap Bokuto back into reality. “You look - “ he cleared his throat, “you look great, ‘Kaashi.” He scrambled to pick the shoes up, handing them out for Akaashi with a slightly sweaty hand. Akaashi accepted the shoes with a light chuckle. “Since those fit, the other outfits do, too.”

“You bought more than one outfit for me?”

“Yeah? Should I not have?”

Akaashi slipped the shoes on with little to no resistance. “Isn’t that a little too much money, even for you?”

“Not at all, and it’s like I said, it’s payment for helping me with all this.”

Akaashi hesitated to say it, but he couldn’t resist the joke. “Like a Sugar Daddy?” Bokuto sputtered, face bright red as he stared at Akaashi in horror. Regret quickly filled Akaashi. “Was that wrong to say?”

“No! I was just . . . startled.” Bokuto laughed, folding his fingers together. “I didn’t think of it like that, but now that you mention it, it kinda does feel like that, huh?”

“Yeah.”

The two stood in front of one another, faces bright red as the silence lingered.

Thankfully, it was broken by the door swinging wide open. Kazuya and Kisho walked in, laughing. Kazuya was dressed in a black button-up and white pants while Kisho wore a purple shirt, purposefully buttoned down to expose his chest, underneath a black jacket along with tight black pants.

“Woah-ho-ho! Look at you two!” Kazuya shook Akaashi’s shoulders with a laugh, pushing past him to throw his arm around Bokuto. “Are you wearing an earring? When did you get your ear pierced? Does Auntie know?”

Bokuto waved Kazuya off, rolling his eyes. “Yes, she knows, and she hates it, but I like it. Even if I got it on a dare.”

Akaashi’s eyebrows raised up. “Did Miya-san dare you?” Bokuto nodded. “Sounds right.”

Kisho chuckled. “Why’re you dressed up, Keiji, joining us?”

“I believe he’s with me!”

The men turned towards the door, where Ji stood, wearing a black romper with a black bow at her hip. Her dark brown hair was in a fancy bun and she wore an expensive-looking, gold necklace.

Kazuya whistled. “Damn, babe.”

Ji smiled, laughing, then she waved Akaashi over to join her.

“You don’t mind, do you, Kotaro?”

Bokuto laughed. “Not at all! I’d want my boyfriend to bond with my future family, yeah?” He approached the two, cupping Akaashi’s face to kiss his nose. Specifically, the small sunburn. “Have fun, Keiji.”

“I will, Kotaro.”

Ji quickly hooked her arm with Akaashi, promising Bokuto that he’d come back safe, then she led him towards the elevator. “Let’s go get some dinner, I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“Very,” Akaashi said.

“I know a perfect on-the-roof restaurant we can go to. You’re over 20, right?”

“Uh, yes?”

Ji smiled. “Wonderful, because this restaurant has some of the best wine I’ve ever tasted in my life.”

_ ‘That must mean it’s very expensive.’ _

Just how much was the Bokuto family going to spend on him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> akaashi's outfit came from this art by ouhkei on redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Akaashi-by-Ouhkei/49138986.EJUG5


	8. the araminta to akaashi’s rachel, and the colin to bokuto’s nick

Bokuto had gone out with Kisho and Kazuya once when he was legally allowed to drink, and it didn’t end well for any of them. He was hesitant to agree to bar hopping with them, worried that Akaashi would have to take care of him drunk, but ultimately agreed when Kisho promised they wouldn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want to. He trusted his brother.

The first bar they went to was one Kazuya went to often. He went so often that every employee and regular recognized him, greeting him with high fives or waves. Kisho and Bokuto were introduced to the bartender - Dae-Jung - who quickly gave them drinks.

“Shouldn’t you save this kind of stuff for your bachelor party?” Bokuto asked, grabbing the short glass and staring at the amber liquid inside. He was pretty sure it was whiskey, but the last time he assumed what a drink was, it ended up being fireball.

Kazuya, who was already on his third drink, laughed. “Nah, I did that shit already. Almost got arrested, but it was fun.”

Bokuto laughed, finally taking a sip of his drink. Whiskey, thankfully.

“Can’t believe you’re getting married before me,” Kisho sighed, shaking his head, “we always thought I’d be the first one. Hao and I are high school sweethearts.”

Bokuto tipped his drink in Kazuya’s direction. “Didn’t you meet Ji on a dating app?”

“Yeah, and what about it?” Kazuya challenged. “She’s the love of my life, and I want to spend the rest of it with her.”

“I get that. Hao’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Now the two were looking at Bokuto. “What?” He asked.

“What do you mean ‘What?’ Tell us about Keiji! I know you’ve only been dating for a few months, but you’re obviously over the moon for this guy.”

Bokuto blushed. It wasn’t a lie, he was hopelessly devoted to Akaashi. He’d never even looked at another person the way he did Akaashi, never felt anything for anyone like Akaashi. He’d been single for years purely out of fear that it’d blow up in his face and he’d hurt someone because he couldn’t get over Akaashi, which he hadn’t.

“Yeah,” Bokuto laughed breathlessly, “I am. I love him a lot, a lot more than I think he knows.” He set his drink down. “People think he’s so calm, but I know how much of a mess he can be. He can be mean a lot of the time, he’s blunt, but he’s so observant that I never have to worry about him not understanding me. I’ve been in love with him for years, and now that we’re dating . . . I don’t want to let him go.”

Kisho sighed heavily. “Woah, dude, that was a lot more than I expected. Sounds like you wanna marry this guy!”

Bokuto turned bright red. “What?! No! It’s too early for that!”

“Yeah, maybe, but you talk about him the same way I did Ji before I proposed.” Kazuya waved his hand when Dae-Jung offered him another drink. “Let’s go to another bar, one with fewer neon lights and shitty music.”

“I thought you loved this bar.”

“Yeah, but now I want to be able to see Kotaro’s blush.”

“Alright, fuck you guys.”

Akaashi had been right when he assumed the restaurant would be expensive. The balcony was completely made of white marble, the tables smooth obsidian slabs and comfortable round, white armchairs. The view was of the water, elevated just enough to block out the people at the beach. The food was worth more than Akaashi’s phone, the wine the same price as a single piece of clothing he was wearing.

Ji had no qualms about spending money. She told Akaashi she was raised rich as well, though not as comparable to the Bokuto family, she worked hard for her share of her family’s profit. It wasn’t until she turned 20 did they start letting her use her hard-earned cash for herself, and she wanted to take advantage of her large bank account.

Ji was kind, just as Bokuto promised, and worked as an economics professor at an Ivy League school. She was extremely interested in Akaashi’s stories about his time in high school with Bokuto, listening intensely whenever he decided to tell a story. Her favorite story was about the time he and Akaashi got separated from the team while in Sendai, resulting in them spending the entire day searching for their friends.

“Something similar happened to Kazuya and me once,” she said once she’d finished laughing, “we were visiting my mother in America, but we took too many wrongs turns and ended up in a completely different state! My mother had to send my step-father out to get us.”

Akaashi held the wine glass carefully, looking at Ji through the rim. “Your parents are divorced?”

“Yes, they are, but only recently. They fell out of love and my mother moved to America. She found someone new, they fell in love, and now they’re married. My father doesn’t mind, he fell into his work, and now my family is very powerful in the fashion world.”

Akaashi swallowed his drink. “Fashion?”

“Yes, fashion! My family’s company makes the best silks and fabrics, along with clothes. You know, Kotaro is good friends with one of our best employees. I think she might be the one who made your suit for the wedding.”

“Oh,” Akaashi rubbed the brim of his glass, “it surprises me how close your families are.”

Ji shrugged. “Kazuya and I met purely by coincidence, our families weren’t even acquainted before him and I started dating. The Bokutos are a lot closer than my family ever was, and I am both delighted and jealous of it.” She picked up some remaining food. “Is your family distant?”

“Yes. I’m an only child, so I was always expected to carry on my family name, and when my parents discovered I’m . . . well, you know . . . they were more disappointed than angry. My mother distanced herself from me, more than she already did, and my father and I were never close. I didn’t lose much because I didn’t have much in the first place.”

Akaashi didn’t talk much about his family. The only person he’d ever confided in was Bokuto. There was something about Ji that begged him to open up. She was safe, she was warm and kind.

Ji made a whimpering noise. “Keiji, that’s so sad!” Her hands dropped down to hold Akaashi’s. “Don’t you worry, I’m sure by the end of your visit, you’ll be considered part of the family. Kazuya and Kisho are already so taken by you, and their aunts adore them! Taishiro will take a bit of convincing, but I can tell he has a soft spot for you.”

“And Ena?”

Ji’s expression fell, turning dark. “She’s . . . difficult.”

“How difficult?”

“Difficult enough that Hao considered leaving Kisho because of her.”

Akaashi inhaled sharply. “That’s . . . horrible.”

“Yes, it is, but . . . Hao found a way to win her over, eventually. They’re not friends, but Ena trusts that Hao will take care of Kisho. That’s all there is to it, Ena wants to protect her sons, no matter how long they’ve lived without her.”

Ji rubbed Akaashi’s knuckle softly before pulling away. “If you and Kotaro make it long enough, I’m sure he’ll be on his knee asking you to marry him, and when that happens, Ena will put you through the wringer. She’ll realize soon enough, though, that you love Kotaro.”

Akaashi nibbled at his fingernail, face aflame. “I - I do love him,” he said nervously, “I’ve loved him for a lot longer than he thinks. He’s not always the easiest to manage, but he’s one of the most honest men I’ve ever met in my life. He’s like . . . he’s like a star. He’s bright and blinding, but he’s impossible to ignore once you’ve seen him. I’ve admired him for years, and I’ve loved him just as long. Being with Kotaro is one of the easiest things I’ve done.”

Once again, Ji whimpered. “That’s so adorable! Oh, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were engaged in a week!”

“It - it’s too early for that,” Akaashi stuttered, a blush covering his face and neck. The idea, though, brought butterflies to his stomach and a warmth to his chest. “But not impossible, knowing Kotaro.”


	9. i got drunk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have to change the rating depending on how far I take this

Akaashi returned to the hotel room before Bokuto. However, it wasn’t long - Akaashi hadn’t even taken his shoes off - before his phone was buzzing with a call from the volleyball player himself.

“Hello?” Akaashi asked when he picked up. For a while, all he could hear was laughter with the occasional song lyric Akaashi couldn’t understand. “Bokuto-san?”

“Sso formal,” Kisho slurred on the other end of the phone, “if that’sss what you’re into, no judgment here, pal.”

Akaashi’s face flared with embarrassment. “Where’s Kotaro, Kisho?”

“Slung over my arm like a fucking bag of potatoes!” Kazuya yelled, his voice much easier to understand compared to Kisho’s. “Give me the fucking phone!” He snapped. After a few seconds of static, Kazuya’s voice came through, “Yo, Keiji, Kotaro’s super drunk and we’re almost at the hotel now. Could you get some water and Advil ready?”

Akaashi kicked his shoes off. “Yes, of course. Is he okay?”

“Besides completely knocked out and occasionally mumbling your name, he’s perfect.”

Akaashi froze in his movements, hand firmly around the small bottle of pills he would soon be giving to Bokuto. “My name?” He asked, voice a little high with surprise. “Just my name, or other things?”

“Well, I think I heard him say something about how cute you look with glasses, but I’m not exactly 100% sober. So - fuck!” Kazuya broke off into a string of curses while Kisho laughed hysterically. There was a long lack of words, just Kisho laughing and Kazuya screaming, which was muffled. “I just dropped Kotaro, so sorry about that. Anyway, we’re in the elevator now and we’re on our way up.”

“Okay, I’ll open the door. Thank you for taking him.”

Kazuya sighed. “No problem, dude.” Then he hung up, leaving Akaashi to toss his phone onto the bed, grab two pills from the bottle and a bottle of water, and exit the hotel room.

Within a few minutes, the door opened up. Kazuya, as he said, was holding Bokuto. His arm was supporting Bokuto’s waist, the other holding his wrist so the younger of the two could stand straight. Kisho stumbled towards his room, crashing into it with a loud bang.

The door opened and Hao walked out, letting Kisho pick her up. She turned to the group of boys with a soft smile. “Thanks for taking care of him, Kazuya.”

Kazuya nodded, slowly helping Bokuto into his and Akaashi’s room. Once Kazuya managed to set Bokuto onto the bed, he turned to Akaashi. “I really don’t understand how you can deal with him. Love, I guess.”

Akaashi shrugged, and he helped Bokuto sit up.

“Keiji?” Bokuto mumbled, leaning into Akaashi’s chest. “Z’hat you?”

“Yes, Kotaro, it’s me.”

Instantly, Bokuto hooked his arms around Akaashi’s waist, pulling him down onto the bed. Bokuto had his face buried in Akaashi’s neck, mumbling words he couldn’t make out. Akaashi had somehow managed to keep the water from spilling, but his face was pressed against Bokuto’s shoulder.

Kazuya laughed. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Akaashi wanted to tell Kazuya to not do that, to help him get free and give Bokuto the medicine he needed, but he was gone before Akaashi could get his face away from Bokuto’s shoulder.

Sighing, Akaashi used whatever strength he had to sit up just a bit. Bokuto whined a bit but gave Akaashi the chance to put both the water and Advil down. The second his hands were free, however, Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s wrists.

With ease, Bokuto flipped their positions so Akaashi was pressed into the mattress, hands pinned above his head. Bokuto straddled his waist, staring down at him with a smirk and hooded eyes. Akaashi, despite being completely dressed, felt exposed under Bokuto’s gaze.

“B - Bokuto-san, what are you - “

“Call me Kotaro,” Bokuto instantly said, leaning down to nuzzle against Akaashi’s cheek. “Say it,” he whispered, lips brushing against Akaashi’s jaw.

“K - Kotaro, what are you doing?”

Bokuto inhaled Akaashi’s scent. “I missed you,” he said.

“I missed you too, Kotar - oooooh!”

Bokuto’s tongue moved across Akaashi’s jaw all the way to the corner of his mouth. Akaashi breathed heavily, face flushed red and heart pounding at an incredible rate. Bokuto lifted his head and smiled down at Akaashi.

One hand let go of Akaashi’s wrist and fell down to cup his face. Akaashi instinctively leaned into the touch, head lolling to the side. Bokuto’s thumb rubbed his bottom lip, prying his lips apart. The head of the thumb went into Akaashi’s mouth.

Bokuto pulled his thumb out a few seconds later, lifting his hand and making a show of licking the saliva that lingered them. Akaashi squirmed, but it was no use.

“Kotaro, what are you doing?” He repeated once again, voice low and breathless.

“You know, I . . . I really do like you, Keiji.” Bokuto’s hand tucked underneath Akaashi’s shirt, slowly moving up his side till he was cupping his pec. Akaashi shivered; Bokuto’s hands were cold. Bokuto buried his face in Akaashi’s neck, tongue darting out to lick his skin. “I really, really like you.”

Akaashi swallowed thickly, face buzzing with heat. His whole body was hot. Bokuto continued to rub his skin, occasionally pinching at it, and he was placing small but hot kisses along his neck. Akaashi’s voice barely came out, and when it did, it was a cluster of whimpers and ‘Kotaro’.

His body finally reacted when Bokuto’s fingers barely dipped under the waistband of his pants. Akaashi’s legs jerked upwards, knees clashing with Bokuto’s. The startle from the reaction was enough for Akaashi to slip his hands out of Bokuto’s hold.

Using his now free hands, Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s wrist, pulling his fingers away from his pants, and used the other to place his palm against Bokuto’s mouth, both guarding his skin and allowing him to push his face away just enough for the two to make eye contact.

Bokuto’s eyes were dimmer, filled with guilt and sadness. Akaashi sighed, moving his hand away from the older man’s mouth. Instantly, Bokuto rolled onto his side. “Sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s . . . fine, Bokuto-san.”

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s wrist, tugging him down and back onto the bed. “It’s fine, Bokuto-san,” he said again. “Let’s just . . . go to sleep.”

Bokuto still looked guilty, but he nodded, helping Akaashi stand. Facing away from each other, they stripped themselves of their tight clothes and changed into sweatpants.

The bed, just as Akaashi expected, was warm and comfortable. Bokuto laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling with half-open eyes, while Akaashi laid on his stomach, arms wrapped around the soft pillow to hold it still.

“Goodnight, Bokuto-san.”

“Night, ‘Kaashi.”

Though he wanted nothing more than to drift off to sleep, Akaashi lay awake for hours, staring at the dark ocean while Bokuto slept behind him, snoring lightly with the occasional movement of his arms.

Akaashi rubbed his wrists, remembering how it felt to have them pinned above his head with ease. He could still feel Bokuto’s tongue on his skin, lips kissing his neck while his hand touched him. It was like he was trying to memorize his body.

Shivering slightly, Akaashi turned his head to look at Bokuto. 

He was asleep with his arms now above his head. His elbow would’ve poked Akaashi if he wasn’t lying so low. The other arm was splayed over his rising and falling chest. Just like Akaashi, Bokuto was shirtless. He was paler in the moonlight but had a light shine to him. Akaashi wondered what his eyes would look like.

Scooting closer, Akaashi released the pillow he was holding and sat up. He supported himself on one hand as he stared down at Bokuto. He stared at his face, relaxed but still strong, then down along his neck to his chest. Hesitantly, Akaashi extended a hand. He placed his hand against the set of abs Bokuto had kept for years.

Bokuto’s snoring hitched for a small second before continuing.

Akaashi exhaled softly.

_ “You know, I . . . I really do like you, Keiji. I really, really like you.” _

He blushed, finally easing back down onto the bed. Akaashi moved closer until he was pressing up against Bokuto, then he lifted the arm over his chest, lifting up just slightly so he could rest his head on Bokuto’s chest. The arm fell over Akaashi, holding him in place.

Akaashi wrapped one arm around Bokuto’s waist, the other placed carefully on his chest. “I hope you mean it, Kotaro,” he whispered, and Akaashi finally managed to close his eyes and drift off into sleep.


	10. so close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this bitch was 12 pages long on Google Docs

Bokuto woke up with the sun blinding him, his body burning and sore, cheek stinging, head pounding with pain, and Akaashi lying on his chest.

. . . Hold up.

Bokuto threw his hands into the air to avoid touching Akaashi, even though the younger male was the one lying on his chest, arms wrapped around him like a pillow. Akaashi’s hair was soft, meshed up against his face, and Bokuto’s chest and every small breath was warm against Bokuto’s bare skin.

If it wasn’t for the pounding headache and the aching need to pee, Bokuto would’ve snuggled back into bed, wrapped his arms around Akaashi, and basked in the intimacy he’d fantasized about for years.

Easily slipping out of bed, Bokuto stumbled towards the bathroom, feet sore from all the walking the previous night. He flicked the lights on and found the source of the burning. On his cheek was a dark red scab. Judging by how new it seemed, Bokuto assumed it had only started bleeding sometime in him falling asleep.

Sighing, Bokuto did his business, washed his hands, then splashed his face with cold water. He was already piecing together the night, getting wasted around the fourth bar, ranting about Akaashi and the things he wanted to do to him, getting into an arm-wrestling match with some dude that he won, but after that, everything got fuzzy.

He could somewhat remember being carried by Kazuya, but after he got dropped onto the ground is where everything just went away. Something must have happened, Bokuto thought, how else would he have ended up in bed, cuddling Akaashi.

Bokuto occupied himself with a shower. His headache was already going down, but that was because it was being replaced by intense nausea. Bokuto lost count of how many times he nearly threw his guts up, and counted three times he actually did. Once the nausea went away, the headache returned.

Groaning, Bokuto started his search for Advil. It was a short search, as the treasure he was looking for was on one of the bedside tables along with a glass of water sitting in a puddle of water. 

“Akaashi probably got it for me,” Bokuto mumbled, picking up the two pills and water. It was warm, but Bokuto wasn’t exactly in a position to complain. As long as he could take the Advil, he’d wash it down with anything. A small gag followed Bokuto swallowing the pills but he managed to control himself.

After brushing his teeth for ten straight minutes to get rid of the horrible taste of vomit and various kinds of alcohol, Bokuto stood outside on the balcony. Despite how busy the beach could be, it was strangely silent, the talking and screaming of people a light buzz. The wind wasn’t strong, but enough to keep Bokuto’s eyes closed and his hair whipping around him.

“You seem relaxed.”

Bokuto jumped, spinning around with wide eyes. “Mom!”

Ena smiled softly. She stood in the doorway of the glass doors. She was dressed to impress, wearing an emerald green blouse and black pants. In her hands was an expensive black clutch purse. Her jewelry was a top brand, golden earrings, and a necklace with an emerald centerpiece.

“Kotaro, what happened to your face?”

Bokuto laughed. “I can’t say for sure, but I think Kazuya dropped me while carrying me to the hotel.”

Ena exhaled through her nose. A disapproving sound, but she dropped it quickly. “Will you and Keiji be joining us for breakfast?”

“I forgot,” Bokuto admitted, opening his arms for Ena to hug him. She rubbed his shoulders, and when she let go, she led him back towards the railing of the balcony. “Keiji’s still asleep.”

Ena nodded. “I saw. I was checking on you boys; Kazuya and Ji are already downstairs with Taishiro. Hao is trying to wake Kisho up, though I doubt he’ll be up anytime soon.” 

There was a long pause as Ena stared with a look in her eyes. Bokuto had seen the look many times, and he, unfortunately, knew exactly what Ena wanted to say.

Sighing, Bokuto rested his chin on his palm. “Just say it, Mom.”

With a heavy sigh, Ena said, “He’s not what I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting?”

“An athlete, or a physical trainer, at least someone who could compare to your status.”

“Status?” Bokuto asked in disbelief. “Just because I’m a pro athlete doesn’t mean I have to be involved with another one. Keiji might not be an athlete, but he’s in perfect - “

Ena held her hand up, silencing Bokuto. “He’s in a completely different world, Kotaro. At least with Ji she is - “

“Rich?”

“No, she is accustomed to our style of living.”

Bokuto exhaled. “What about Hao? I know you have your opinions about her, but you’ve kept your mouth shut ever since they got engaged. Is that what I have to do to get your approval, rush Keiji into something he isn’t ready for?”

“What I want is for you to get your head out of the clouds and realize he will never be a part of this family, not with the way he’s been raised.”

“Jesus Christ,” Bokuto groaned, burying his face into his hands. “Don’t do this. Not now. Kazuya and Ji love Keiji, and that’s all I care about because this is  _ their _ time. Even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t let you talk about Keiji like this.”

Ena placed her hand against Bokuto’s face. He didn’t lean into her hold, but he didn’t pull away. He learned very early on that pulling away would only make things worse. “I’m looking out for your heart, Kotaro. When Keiji realizes what I already know - that he will never be accepted by our family - he will leave, breaking your heart.”

“No, he won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I love him, and he loves me. You did this to Hao, and you remember what almost happened. She almost left him because of you. Do you know what could have happened to Kisho if he lost her?” Bokuto grabbed Ena’s hand, lightly pushing it against her. “I won’t let you do that to Keiji, Mom.”

“Kotaro, I am simply - “

“I think you should leave,” Bokuto gestured to the open door, “and no, we won’t be going to breakfast. We’ll see you when we’re going to see the family.”

Ena opened her mouth but was cut off. “Is everything okay?”

Bokuto inhaled sharply. He turned towards the door where Akaashi now stood. He had put on a shirt, one of Bokuto’s, and was looking between Ena and Bokuto with a flare of concern.

“Yes,” Ena said, glaring lightly at Bokuto, “I was just leaving.”

She marched past Keiji, looking him up and down, then she left. She made a show of slamming the door shut; Akaashi flinched while Bokuto simply pinched his nose.

Hesitantly, Akaashi turned to Bokuto. “Did I do something?”

“No, she’s the problem, not you.” Bokuto walked towards Akaashi, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him close. “How was Ji, was she nice?”

Akaashi nodded, walking back into the room. “Yes, she seemed to enjoy my company, too.”

“That’s good.” Bokuto sat down on a nearby chair, watching Akaashi pick up the discarded clothes. He folded them quickly, putting them on a nearby coffee table.

He grabbed Bokuto’s earring from the floor, smiling and chuckling at Bokuto as he dangled the thing at him. Bokuto rubbed his ear. Akaashi expression turned narrow. “What happened to your face?” Bokuto didn’t get a chance to respond before Akaashi let out a chortle. “Kazuya dropped you.”

Bokuto laughed. “Yeah, he did.” Akaashi went back to picking up the room. Hesitantly, Bokuto asked, “So . . . why were we cuddling?”

Akaashi dropped the empty glass cup with wide eyes. They both jumped. Bokuto quickly raced over to Akaashi, grabbing his hand. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?” Akaashi blinked a few times before he pulled his hand away. “Akaashi?”

“Let’s go get some food,” he said quietly, pulling Bokuto’s shirt off and quickly walking to the bathroom. He snatched a random outfit from the side, slamming the door shut. 

Bokuto’s hand dropped to his side. He tightened his knuckle, biting his quivering lips. Whatever he did, he wanted to know so he could apologize.

_ ‘Keiji, you fucking idiot. You’re a hopeless, foolish homosexual who needs to get his shit together. It’s fake. This is all fake. He doesn’t love you, he’s just saying that so his witch of a mother doesn’t try to scare you off.’ _

Akaashi scolded himself, staring at his own reflection with a narrow, judgemental look. He was ashamed of the way his heart dropped when Bokuto asked him why they were cuddling. He was embarrassed by how he dropped the cup. He felt foolish for avoiding the problem, storming off and no doubt leaving Bokuto wallowing in guilt.

Akaashi turned the faucet on, turning it to it’s coldest setting, letting the water overflow in his hands, then screamed into the water. The scream wasn’t as muffled as it would’ve been if Akaashi screamed into a bath or a pillow, but it was quiet enough to keep Bokuto from knocking on the door and asking what was wrong.

Once he got over the need to scream, Akaashi grabbed the outfit he had mindlessly grabbed, ripping the ribbon off and changing. The outfit was a lot nicer than the one he wore yesterday; a high collar black shirt, a matching grey jacket and high-waisted pants with a subtle square pattern, and a black belt with studs and a chain hanging from two of the studs.

The outfit fit Akaashi perfectly, and he was surprised by how much he liked how he looked. He grabbed his foundation from his bag, applying it as carefully as he could. Once that was finished, he inhaled slowly and swung open the bathroom door.

Bokuto stood in the middle of the room, buttoning up his shirt. He was dressed in a short-sleeved button-up, tucked into black pants with a black belt. Despite how large Bokuto’s muscles were, the shirt was a little loose on him. Akaashi’s gaze moved to Bokuto’s hand, where a collage of silver rings rested. 

He was wearing a simple black stud earring. His hairstyle was a little new, spiked up but hot in the usual way that made him look like a horned owl. Bokuto had also applied makeup, covering up the scab on his cheek.

The two stared at one another for a few seconds before Akaashi broke the silence. “You shouldn’t worry, Bokuto-san, I was just . . . surprised you couldn’t remember what had happened.”

“It was a pretty big reaction,” Bokuto sighed, approaching Akaashi hesitantly. When Akaashi didn’t walk back, Bokuto walked so he was hovering over him, holding his hands out to hold Akaashi. Eventually, he did, gripping his forearms. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.”

“Did I say something bad?”

Akaashi opened his mouth.  _ “You know, I . . . I really do like you, Keiji. I really, really like you.” _

“No. In fact, you didn’t say anything at all.”

Bokuto exhaled, clearly relieved. “That’s . . . that’s good, I think. I just - I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt you in some way.” His hand moved upwards, cupping Akaashi’s face. “You’re so important to me, you know.”

Akaashi held the hand that cupped his face. “I know, Bokuto-san, and you’re important to me, too.”

Bokuto’s eyes dropped down, staring at Akaashi’s lips. He licked his lips a little and leaned down slowly. Akaashi gulped, not leaning in but not leaning back. Bokuto came close enough so every breath tickled Akaashi’s own.

The door opened. “Yo, are you two coming or - oh . . . am I interrupting something important?”

The look Bokuto had on his face made it seem like he was going to grab the nearest object and chuck it at Kisho’s head. Bokuto instead stood up, letting go of Akaashi’s face. Akaashi was frozen in place as the warmth of Bokuto’s hand and breath faded.

“No, you’re not. Uh, yeah, we’re coming.”

Akaashi finally regained the ability to move. He turned around to face Kisho. He was wearing a baby blue dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black jeans. His watch was clearly expensive. Behind him was Hao, dressed in a pastel purple, spaghetti strap dress. She waved shyly to Akaashi, who shakily returned the gesture.

Bokuto was hesitant to wrap his arm around Akaashi’s waist, and Akaashi did flinch a bit, but the two ultimately melted into one another’s touch. They walked out of the room, joining the couple to walk towards the elevator.

“Hey, did you say something to Mom? She looked like she was gonna kill someone with her heels when she left your room.”

Bokuto’s expression darkened. “She’s being difficult.”

Kisho and Hao frowned, their holds on one another’s hands tightening. Hao mumbled, “When is she never being difficult?”

“I wouldn’t say difficult, rather, rude.”

Bokuto gripped Akaashi’s waist. “You heard her?”

“I woke up around her saying I was going to break your heart.”

Kisho groaned loudly. Hao used her free hand to rub his arm. She looked at Akaashi sympathetically. “I’m so sorry you had to hear that. She said the same things about me when Kisho and I started dating.”

“Does it get better?”

“Not unless you get engaged, unfortunately.”

Bokuto and Akaashi went quiet, choosing to stand closer to one another and stare at the closed elevator doors. Kisho and Hao didn’t try to pick the conversation up. The silence was heavy but in no way awkward. It improved every time someone walked into the elevator but came back when said people left.

Finally, the two “couples” made it to the large dining room. The family was sitting at a long table with a white table cloth, talking amongst one another as they enjoyed expensive food.

Ena quickly noticed Bokuto and Akaashi sitting down a few seats away from her. “You decided to join us,” She said, a false smile on her face, “I’m glad.”

_ ‘Of course, you are,’  _ Akaashi thought angrily. 

Bokuto held his hand over the table, making sure to rub it tenderly whenever Ena glanced over. Ji and Kazuya were sitting close to one another, talking excitedly about how they couldn’t wait for the wedding. Kazuya joked that the two should just elope. Taishiro shot the idea down, reminding the couple how much their grandparents spent on the ceremony.

“You’ll be meeting them tonight, Keiji,” Ena reminded, voice laced with a venom that didn’t go unnoticed by anyone at the table, “I do hope they’re as fond of you as we are.”

Ji laughed. “I’m sure they will! Keiji’s a great man, Ena. He won us over the second we met him.”

“That’s because I’m dating Kotaro.”

Kisho snorted. “It’s because he never shuts up about you. Back when he was in high school, all he would talk about is how amazing his setter is, how cool he is and much he likes him.” He laughed. “I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Kotaro told me you guys were dating.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell us about him?” Taishiro asked.

“It’s not exactly normal to gush about your crush to your parents, Dad,” Kisho laughed, shaking his head.

“Aw, Kotaro, you had a crush on me? That’s embarrassing.”

Kisho snorted, water briefly shooting out of his nose. He laughed hysterically, muffling it with his fist. Bokuto stared at Akaashi in disbelief.

“We’re dating!”

“Still.”

Bokuto chuckled breathlessly, placing a kiss to Akaashi’s temple.

Akaashi spotted Ena’s light frown at the display of affection. Unfortunately, she caught him staring. Ena raised her eyebrows in a challenging way.

Without breaking eye contact, Akaashi lifted his and Bokuto’s intertwined hands and kissed the back of his hand tenderly. Teasing coos surrounded the table while Bokuto turned a bright red, staring down at his plate with a dopey smile.

“What will all of you be doing to waste the time before dinner?” Ena asked, quickly changing the topic and taking the attention away from Akaashi and Bokuto. Ena placed her hand on Taishiro’s arm. “We’ll be seeing some old friends.”

Ji rubbed Kazuya’s shoulder. “I was thinking of taking Hao and Akaashi to my family's spa.”

Hao perked up at the suggestion and looked at Akaashi. He shyly glanced up at Bokuto. “Do you mind?” He asked.

“Hmmm,” Bokuto squinted in thought, “as long as it doesn’t take up ALL of your time. You’re my boyfriend, not Ji’s.”

“No shit Sherlock,” Kazuya said.

“Language!”

“We’re all adults!”

Ena and Taishiro shook their heads.

“As long as everyone has fun,” Ena said, nodding her head to the group. “What will the gentlemen be doing now that their partners will be busy.”

“Sleeping off this hangover,” Bokuto and Kisho said at the same time.

Kazuya shrugged. “I’ll probably play poker with my groomsmen.”

“Still can’t believe we’re not involved,” Kisho said, just the slightest of genuine pain in his joking tone. “Thought we were bros.”

Kazuya frowned. “I wanted you to be, but I had to be safe, just in case something happened with your flight or something.”

Though he hesitated, Kisho nodded. “Fair. Welp!” He stood, kissing the top of Hao’s head. “I’m gonna go and try to get rid of this headache. Kotaro, you gonna join me?”

“Yeah.” Bokuto ducked his head, kissing Akaashi’s jaw. “Have fun without me, if that’s possible.”

Akaashi chuckled. “It’ll be hard, but I think I’ll manage.”

“God, just get married, you already act like a married couple,” Ji teased.

Both Bokuto and Akaashi spluttered with faces aflame. They avoided eye contact as Bokuto laughed awkwardly. “Too soon,” he yelled, pushing Kisho towards the exit.

Akaashi gripped his thigh, shooting a look to Ena. He should’ve been surprised to see her glaring at him, but after what she said about him, he wasn’t in the slightest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am I cruel? maybe. am I gonna stop? haven't decided yet.  
> akaashi's outfit: https://i.pinimg.com/474x/c6/e7/d6/c6e7d6fcb35819edf3b194c79dd72bf4.jpg  
> bokuto's outfit: https://66.media.tumblr.com/9e2141814a7cad1cd44902c2b67005fd/bfbee20b5be69835-8a/s640x960/84a4ea55e12f2e9be1a548c27c114563e322195f.jpg


	11. bawk bawk, bitch

“I wanna say I’m surprised, but I’m really not. Ena Bokuto is a grade-A bitch.”

Ji, Hao, and Akaashi sat in green, cushioned lounge chairs. They were in robes, eyes closed and faces covered in a face mask. Akaashi was always open to “feminine” things, just like Bokuto, Kuroo, and Kenma, who were always dragging out of his comfort zone. Which is why he was completely fine with one of the workers at Ji family’s spa painting his nails, and another painting his toenails.

“She didn’t say those kinds of things about me. Yeah, she was worried I would make the Bokuto image bad, but she never said I’d leave Kisho heartbroken. That’s just plain rude.” Hao sighed with a rasp. “I can’t understand how she can act so kind and open but then turn around and try to convince our boyfriends we’re not good enough.”

Ji hummed. “She gets it from her aunt.”

“Aunt Min-Jun or Aunt Chizue?”

“Aunt Chizue is a saint, Aunt Min-Jun is just like her, though. I remember when I was just Kazuya’s girlfriend, they teamed up with one another to try and convince Kazuya I wasn’t good enough for him. We all see how that ended,” Ji said, voice proud and fond.

Akaashi sighed. “I don’t think I could handle that much judgment.”

“If you’re lucky, they’ll keep it to themselves. Kotaro is like a newborn baby to the family, they all want to shower him in love and not make him upset. They’ll pretend they approve, or at least tolerate you, all for the sake of protecting his feelings.” Hao paused for a few seconds. “But there’s gonna be a lot of people who don’t care, and those are the ones you have to avoid.”

Akaashi hummed. “Kotaro already warned me about that, and he promised to keep me away from those relatives.”

“We really got lucky, didn’t we?”

Hao sighed dreamily. “I knew I loved Kisho when he gave me his umbrella. It was a stormy day, and some bastards stole my umbrella in hopes I’d either get drenched or have to stay late. Kisho saw me and gave me his umbrella, promising he wouldn’t get sick if he got rained on. He did, had a horrible cold, but he never asked for that umbrella back.” Laughing lightly, Hao said, “I want to get married with that umbrella, I want to carry it down the aisle to remind him that I fell in love with him because of his generosity.”

“That’s sweet,” Ji said, voice breathless in amazement. “I fell in love with Kazuya because of how adventurous he is. One day, he picked me up spontaneously, told me to leave my phone and everything, and just trust him. He took me to this secluded island with the clearest water I had ever seen. He made dinner for us, brought along my favorite books, and we ate and read in the shade.”

“Those are beautiful stories,” Akaashi said. He was a little envious, hearing the stories of falling in love. When he was younger, he would ask his parents to tell him stories; how they met, how they fell in love, when and how his father proposed. They never responded, telling Akaashi those stories didn’t matter.

“What about you?” Ji asked. “When did you know you were in love with Kotaro.”

Akaashi swallowed. He could easily pretend he didn’t know, but he’d be lying. He knew exactly when he fell in love with Bokuto Kotaro. He could never forget. 

“Kotaro likes to say that when you play volleyball, you have a moment where you realize how much you love volleyball. Kotaro had his moment during a game against people who we lost to because they kept blocking him. He practiced for hours, days on end to perfect his straight shots. The team just couldn’t block him.” Akaashi smiled fondly at the memory. 

“I remember watching him spike that finishing shot, the ball I set to him. The joy on his face, the way I could see him realize how fun volleyball was, that’s when I knew . . . my feelings weren’t just a silly crush, but I loved him. I loved him because that was my volleyball moment as well. We had our moment together.”

There was a long pause, and Akaashi was worried his story paled in comparison, but Ji and Hao squealed loudly. “That’s so cute!” Hao cooed. “Ah, Keiji! You love him so much, I can tell! It’s so hard to believe the two of you haven’t been dating for years!”

Ji clicked her tongue. “If Ena doesn’t think you love Kotaro, she can get lost! You and Kotaro are soulmates, it’s so clear to see!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Akaashi laughed, chest blooming with warmth.

“Bullshit!” Ji hollered. “You know, it’s about damn time someone stood up to Ena, and I think you’re just the person to do that! You’re gonna show her tonight that no matter what the family thinks of you, no matter how intimidating their money is, you’re in for the long haul!”

Akaashi smiled. “Bawk bawk, bitch.”

“Crazy Rich Asians,” Hao said, and Akaashi could feel her approving nod, “Bawk bawk, bitch.”

Bokuto managed to sleep for three hours before he woke up to his ringtone, a cover of the English song “Kiss From a Rose” in Korean (why did people find it so hard to believe that Bokuto had a rocking music taste?)

“Hello?” Bokuto asked, his grogginess clear.

_ “It is . . . 2 pm, dude.” _

“Hey, Kuroo, what do you need?”

_ “I’m just checking up on you. You’ve been suspiciously quiet since landing, and I was worried you died from Gay Panic or something.” _

“I almost did,” Bokuto rolled out of bed, turning on a light. He walked into the bathroom, noting how messed up his hair was. Putting his phone on speaker, Bokuto turned on the faucet and drenched his hair. “We almost kissed, dude.”

_ “Almost?!”  _ Kuroo yelled, sounding offended.  _ “What happened?” _

“Kisho interrupted us.” Bokuto sighed. “I get it now when you get annoyed whenever I interrupt you and Sawamura. Ji and Hao love him, and Kazuya and Kisho honor him for putting up with me. My mom hates him, too. She thinks Akaashi will get intimidated by my family and just leave me. I told her that won’t happen.”

There was a long pause before Kuroo said, hesitantly,  _ “But . . . isn’t she right? You and Akaashi will have to pretend to break up, and the excuse that your job just got too busy won’t sit well. Ena’s gonna think she was right.” _

Bokuto stared at his shocked reflection. His heart rate picked when he realized Kuroo was right. Ji and Hao adored Akaashi and were confident they would get married, they wouldn’t believe the excuse that his job got too hectic. Ena would despise Akaashi for the rest of her life.

“Fuck! Oh, god. What if we do end up dating, but after I tell them we broke up! They’d hate Akaashi, think he came back for the money! Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, Kuroo! I fucked myself over!”

_ “Well, it’s clear what you have to do now.” _

“What?”

_ “FUCK HIM! Kiss him, tell him you love him, fuck him and show him, Ena, and everyone who doubts him that you love him! Akaashi likes you back, if he didn’t he would’ve pulled away from you nearly kissing him!” _

Bokuto folded his lips. “We also . . . cuddled.”

On Kuroo’s end, there was a slap. Sawamura’s voice came through,  _ “I need a drink.” _

“Am I on speaker?”

_ “Yes, and I agree with Daichi. Bokuto, you’re a fucking idiot.” _

“I can’t even disagree!” Bokuto picked up the phone and walked towards the closet. He opened it, spotting the outfit he was going to wear to dinner that night. “Kuroo, I love this guy so much, and I would do anything to show him that. What should I do?”

_ “Lucky for you, I’ve been planning this since the Tokyo training camp in our third year. Okay, so what you have to do is . . . “ _

Ji pushed the large doors open, clapping her hands. “Alright, everyone! Listen up! We need to make this man look so good he could kill!” Hao pulled Akaashi into the room by her hand. The room had a tall ceiling and was circular, but the entire room was filled with nothing but clothes.

The people inside the room were quick to run around. They grabbed handfuls of black bags, two of them snatching Akaashi by the shoulders to push him behind a changing curtain. “Some champagne,” Ji said, Hao laughing at the request. 

Akaashi pressed against the wall, watching two women hang up black bags. He closed his eyes, inhaling for four seconds then exhaling for eight. Under his breath, as he unzipped one of the bags to reveal a purple suit, Akaashi said, “Bawk bawk, bitch.”

Hours of changing clothes went by. Most outfits just didn’t fit well for Akaashi while others were out of place. Ji and Hao worked with the others to find better fits, and slowly but surely, Akaashi started feeling confident in the outfits. 

“One more left,” Ji said, smiling boldly as she handed Akaashi another black bag, “and I think this is the one.”

Ducking behind the curtain, Akaashi opened the bag and immediately zipped it shut. “Isn’t this a little too . . . bold?”

“That’s exactly the point! Just try it on, trust me, Keiji, it’s perfect.”

Millions of thoughts raced through Akaashi’s mind, most of the fear of judgment and the many things people could say, Bokuto included. However, when he peeked through the curtain, he saw Ji and Hao smiling at him.

Like magic, his anxieties faded, and Akaashi nodded.

“Where are the girls and Keiji?” Taishiro asked, holding the door open for the family.

“They’re coming together,” Kazuya said, placing his phone into the inner pocket of his suit. He was dressed in an all-white suit - Bokuto did not miss the chance to point out how similar it was to Nick from Crazy Rich Asians - while Kisho went the complete opposite, choosing an all-black outfit.

Bokuto chose a dark red button-up, black dress pants, and dress shoes. As far as accessories went, he wore the same chain earring from his drunken night with Kazuya and Kisho, and a thin silver band on his middle finger.

Ena was dressed in a sheer black dress with green underneath. Taishiro was dressed to match her with a black suit jacket with a sheer layer, a green dress shirt, and simple black pants. 

The second the door slammed shut, the car started driving. At first, it was awkward, but Kisho couldn’t stay quiet for long. “I like Keiji.”

Bokuto cringed at the blunt challenge.

Kazuya followed along with a happy, “Me, too!”

Ena and Taishiro raised their brows. No one in this family let a challenge go unnoticed. Taishiro checked his watch as a distraction until he couldn’t resist and said, “He’s a little awkward.”

“Can you blame him? We’re not exactly middle class.” Kisho was quick to respond.

“I don’t think I trust him,” Ena finally said, crossing her leg and resting her folded hands on her knee.

Bokuto, despite wanting to keep the peace, couldn’t let that slide. “How so, Mom?”

“We all know you’ve adored him since high school, but you only started dating recently? What’s to say he isn’t just in it for the money.”

Kazuya closed his eyes, inhaling through his nose. Kisho’s jaw fell slack in disbelief. Bokuto instantly punched the nearest solid surface.

He pointed a finger at Ena. “Take that back, right now. The second we get to this party, I will pretend you didn’t say that, but unless you apologize right now, I will also pretend like you’re not there.”

Ena, though a little startled by the sudden outburst, did not back down. “I’m just saying, it’s suspicious.”

“Why do you have to do this? Can’t you just PRETEND that you like our partners? Can’t you just try to get along with them, learn more about them before you try to scare them off? We love our partners, Mom,” Bokuto gestured to Kisho and Kazuya, who all nodded firmly, “and your 0/2 in trying to get them to leave, what makes you think Keiji is the same?”

“Ji is comparable to our status, she is used to this life and has all the money she needs. Hao may not be rich, and I may still not approve of her - “

Kisho did the same as Bokuto and punched the nearest solid object. “You can’t say that after she nearly LEFT ME because of you.”

Ena pretended Kisho didn’t say anything. “Hao has known Kisho since middle school, she has had plenty of time to learn how to live with the endless judgment of our family. Keiji has neither of Ji and Hao’s experience. He is weak.”

“Keiji is far from weak,  _ Mother _ .”

The drop of a pin could be heard in the thick, overwhelming silence that filled the car. The silence was broken by the driver generously rolling his window up.

Bokuto fixed his position so he was staring ahead. “From the second this car parks to when we all get back, we’re strangers.”

“Kotaro, you will not disrespect your mother - “

Bokuto glared at Taishiro. “Keiji’s happiness and comfort mean more to me than respecting a woman who will not even give the love of my life a chance. I’ve seen her break plenty of hearts, drive away partners who could have very well been our relative’s soulmate. I won’t let her do the same to me, or Kisho, or Kazuya.”

Ena’s face twisted up. She was furious. “Fine then. I will take care of this myself.”

“Like hell, you will.”

Bokuto gripped the seat tightly, closing his eyes and choosing to ignore everyone in the car for the rest of the ride. He had to calm down, for his and Akaashi’s sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all aren't ready for the next chapter;
> 
> bokuto is gonna be very gay, akaashi is going to very badass, and it's gonna be very, very, VERY physical
> 
> bokuto's outfit: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/78/08/2b/78082b380066c6f3964bc831715512ff.jpg


	12. i m̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ will have to change the rating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright, you heathens, i changed the rating  
> though I am not complaining
> 
> ji's outfit: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1cVN6a2fsK1RjSszgq6yXzpXa2/party-dress-woman-night-omighty-Medium-long-sleeve-2019-Top-female-Aesthetic-Female-sexy-lace-women.jpg_q50.jpg  
> hao's outfit: https://imgs.mkdress.co.uk/lalamira/s1140/03/ea/6377160c6e2c3d6b378d8abbae4c03ea.jpg  
> akaashi's outfit: https://mookie000.tumblr.com/post/153281318732/akaashi-in-a-dress (i'd save this for after you read it because the outfit is supposed to be a big reveal)

The family arrived at the family mansion soon after Bokuto’s outburst. They exited the car in awkward silence, Ena and Taishiro storming up the stairs and into the large house nearly the second their feet hit the ground. The car drove away and the three men stared up at the all-to-familiar house. 

Kazuya had the most memories of the house. It was three stories tall, wide with countless windows and random squares on the side that created living rooms or rooms dedicated to expensive paintings. Kisho had memories of swimming in the pool with Ji, Kazuya, and their other family members or helping the gardeners and his grandparents plant roses in the backyard. Bokuto’s memories were the faintest, simple memories of talking with family every time they visited, sitting in the greenhouse whenever he became overwhelmed.

The clearest memory was when he called Akaashi in that very greenhouse, ranting about how he was worried he disappointed his family by telling them he likes boys. Akaashi, despite it being fairly late, talked Bokuto down, like he always did, and assured Bokuto that as long as he was happy, his family could go to hell. That was one of the moments Bokuto looked back on whenever he wanted to remind himself why he loved Akaashi.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Kisho finally wheezed, grabbing onto Bokuto’s shoulder and laughing. “Oh, it was amazing! It was like you took all of our anger and just . . . put it out there! God, I WISH I was the one who did that!”

Laughing faintly, Bokuto pulled out his phone. He had texted Akaashi once in their time apart, asking him if everything was alright. Akaashi responded swiftly with an “everything is fine, I’ll see you at dinner.” 

It was a little disheartening to know he wouldn’t be seeing Akaashi until dinner, but it gave him enough time to get rid of the nerves of going through with Kuroo’s plan. Kuroo had been adamant about Bokuto taking his advice, and Sawamura eventually pitched about how Bokuto had to “grow a fucking pair and kiss the boy!” Then again, Sawamura might’ve been drunk when he said that.

The three men stood outside for a few minutes, each one pestering the other to be the first one inside, but their arguing stopped when a car door opened behind them and Ji called, “Why aren’t you inside yet?”

Ji was the first one out of the car, dressed in a long dress that went down to the floor. The dress was a light shade of pink, boarding on tan, and held her waist like a glove. There was one slit on the dress, exposing her leg and the golden heels she was wearing. Kazuya held his hand out for Ji and when she took it, he dipped her, kissing her tenderly.

Hao was next, and Kisho inhaled so sharply Bokuto was worried he’d hurt his throat. The dress had a looser skirt, but the top was tight, with a space in the middle to show off enough cleavage to leave Kisho bright red. The white dress was completely sheer with the occasional plain white floral design. Underneath, Hao was wearing nude leggings and white heels.

She ran towards Kisho instantly, standing on her toes to kiss him. When they pulled apart, Kisho whispered, “I can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle.”

Bokuto laughed, shaking his head, then he looked towards the car and he copied the sharp inhale Kisho just took. He felt his soul leave his body, heart rate picking up at an incredible rate, and he felt his entire body turn hot.

Akaashi stepped out of the car, cheeks red as he looked sideways with a nervous smile. The black dress was skin-tight with thin straps. The top was extremely low cut, showing his pecs. The top and the skirt were separated, connected by a black X that covered his abs. The skirt had two slits, showing off legs that Bokuto fantasized about an embarrassing amount of times before. Wrapped around Akaashi’s arms was a fluffy black boa. To complete the look, he wore shiny black stiletto heels.

“Holy shit,” Kisho and Kazuya whispered.

“You’re welcome~,” Ji teased, lips brushing against Bokuto’s ear.

Bokuto quickly walked towards Akaashi. He was a little taller, but not tall enough to be the same size as Bokuto. Akaashi opened his mouth to say something but was stopped when Bokuto wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close.

Bokuto’s pointer finger tucked under Akaashi’s face, holding his chin lightly, while his thumb pressed against the corner of his lips. Akaashi stared up at Bokuto and Bokuto thought he might pass out because, god, damn Akaashi was wearing makeup. Dark purple eyeshadow, mascara that made his already beautiful eyelashes even more beautiful, and he wore light pink lipstick.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi whispered, just as breathless as Bokuto felt, “do I look silly?”

Instead of answering, Bokuto tilted Akaashi’s head upwards and dived in for the kiss he’d been wanting for years. Akaashi made a startled noise against Bokuto’s lips, but it wasn’t long before he threw his arms around Bokuto’s neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

It was needy and desperate and hungry and all Bokuto had ever wanted. Akaashi made breathless noises and Bokuto considered pulling away so the poor man could catch his breath, but then Akaashi said his name - not “Bokuto-san”, but his name, “Kotaro” - and that’s what did it in for Bokuto.

His tongue moved boldly into Akaashi’s mouth, savoring the taste and feeling of Akaashi’s tongue against his own. Akaashi’s hands moved down from his neck to his shoulder, gripping them tightly - he had fucking acrylic nails - and pulling Bokuto closer, if that was possible.

“ . . . hem. Ahem. AHEM!”

The two broke apart, staring into one another’s eyes, noses touching, as they panted heavily, gasping for air they were robbing themselves of. Bokuto shifted to the side, arm wrapped tightly around Akaashi’s waist. 

Ji, Hao, Kazuya, and Kisho were staring at them with varying shocked reactions. They all opened and closed their mouths, searching for words. None of them were disgusted, simply shocked, and at a loss for words.

“Jesus,” Kazuya finally breathed out, “you’d think the two of you haven’t seen one another in years. I don’t think I’ve seen that much . . . I don’t what you would call that?”

“Hunger?” Hao suggested, face flushed from the intense display of affection. “Either way, that was intense and highly inappropriate considering your ENTIRE family is inside that house.”

Akaashi instantly turned red, burning his face in his hands. Bokuto, on the other hand, smiled brightly. He was too happy to be embarrassed. After years, and years of pining and lying awake at night, Bokuto finally kissed Akaashi Keiji, and it was better than anything his mind had made up.

The group moved up the stairs - Bokuto had to help Akaashi multiple times to keep him from face planting - and they walked inside the crowded house. Instantly, they were separated by relatives asking questions. Bokuto kept Akaashi close as they walked through the thick crowd, pausing every now and then for Bokuto to introduce Akaashi to the relatives he deemed “important.”

Akaashi didn’t resist or try to convince Bokuto to take them to somewhere less crowded. He was still dazed from that kiss. That kiss that was filled with all the passion and hunger Akaashi had been wanting to show Bokuto for years. It made his heart giddy like a teenager.

Finally, they reached the bar that lacked a crowd. The bartender smiled when she spotted Bokuto, setting down the glass she was cleaning so she could approach the couple. Bokuto let go of Akaashi’s waist for just a second so he could hug the bartender over the counter.

She was tall, about the same height as Akaashi, with bleach blonde hair and black streaks. Her hair was up in a bun, a few strands of hair framing her face. She had beautiful brown eyes. On her neck, Akaashi could spot a tattoo of the Northern Star from “Peter Pan”.

“Keiji, this is Meilin, my cousin-in-law.”

Meilin beamed, holding her hand out for Akaashi. He shook it quickly, nodding his head to her. “Uh, which cousin is your husband?”

“Wife, actually,” Meilin corrected, grabbing two cocktail glasses and a mixer. “I’m married to Yu-Mi. Wonderful woman, a model. We travel a lot, but I work as a bartender whenever we’re home.”

Bokuto laughed. “I don’t know why you work, Yu-Mi is easily the richest one of us children.”

“I like the fulfillment of it all. Though, I will admit the life of a trophy wife has its perks.”

“Where is Yu-Mi?”

“Probably having a smoke with the others. If they’re anywhere, it’d be, obviously - “

The two cousins said at the same time, “The smoke room.”

“Do you wanna come with, or are you okay being left alone for a few minutes?”

Akaashi looked around the room nervously. Would he be okay?

“I can stay with him,” a new voice said. Looking to the side, Akaashi was faced with a man on the chubbier side with glasses, dressed in a maroon suit. Both his ears were pierced, and he was wearing ruby earrings with a silver chain. “Hey, Kotaro.”

“Hyeon!” Bokuto approached the man, throwing his arms around him and slapping his back. “Keiji, this is another one of my cousins, Hyeon.” 

Hyeon held his hand out for Akaashi and he, once again, accepted it. “Oh, wonderful nails, Keiji. I imagine Ji is the one who took you for them.” Akaashi laughed softly and nodded. He had been afraid he would get more judgment than approval for the nails. “Don’t worry, Kotaro, he’s in good hands.”

Bokuto looked at Akaashi for approval. The younger man laughed. “I’ll be fine, Kotaro.”

“Okay.” Bokuto pushed Akaashi’s bangs up, kissing his forehead softly. “I won’t be long, I promise.”

Akaashi watched Bokuto walk away, vanishing into the large crowd. Instantly, his nerves spiked when he spotted the many eyes on him. A finger tapped his shoulder and Akaashi turned to see Meilin holding a cocktail out for him.

Graciously, Akaashi accepted it. Hyeon nodded to Meilin and she instantly grabbed a bottle of vodka from underneath his bar. The two men situated themselves on two of the seats, sharing small smiles.

Before Akaashi could make any awkward conversation, music started playing, and a woman in a golden dress walked up to a microphone and started singing a song in Korean.

“Oh, that’s Iseul, one of our many, many great aunts. She was a popular singer, not enough to go worldwide, but still is nationally recognized. Even in her older years, she has an amazing voice.”

Iseul held the mic in one hand, singing and swaying her hips to the music the live band was supplying. Akaashi smiled. Even though he couldn’t recognize nearly a single word of the song, he knew it was a good one. Her voice carried well, filling the room, and it was clear perfect pitch.

Akaashi took a sip of his drink.

“So, how did Kotaro convince you to be his fake boyfriend.”

Then instantly spit it back into the glass.

Meilin laughed, handing Hyeon a colorful drink. “Oh, good, you knew, too. I didn’t want to say anything.”

“How did you know?” Akaashi asked instead of denying it. His reaction was enough to give it away. “Not even Kisho knows it’s all fake.”

“All fake?” Hyeon laughed. “Oh, no, no, no, Keiji. I could tell from the second the two of you entered that while you may be pretending to date, the feelings are 100% real. People who ‘fake’ those kinds of emotions could never kiss as boldly as the two of you.”

Akaashi covered his mouth. “You saw that?”

“I see everything.” Hyeon winked. “Also, Kotaro holds you like something only he can have, he looks at you like the greatest gift to the Earth. He loves you, I know that.”

Rubbing the light pink stain on his glass away, Akaashi asked, “You really think so?”

“Kotaro wouldn’t have kissed you otherwise. He might not be the brightest, might now understand social cues that well, but he has control of his heart. He would never kiss someone, especially like that, without having overwhelming amounts of affection for them. I don’t think he’s just in love with you, I think he’s been longing for you for years.”

The prospect, the near hope that Bokuto had always felt the same way as Akaashi was enough to wash away every nerve he’d been feeling since exiting the car. He inhaled shakily, unable to fight the wide smile and pink flush. Hyeon and Meilin smiled at one another.

Meilin took the glass away from Akaashi. “I suggest, you go find him, and get some privacy.”

The implications did not fly over Akaashi’s head, but he didn’t care. He nodded excitedly, spinning around and quickly exiting the room the bar was in. The music faded, and Akaashi did his best to remember what direction Bokuto had taken.

A few minutes later, a few wrong turns and a few awkward sentences in Korean later, and Akaashi found Bokuto in the smoke room. Holding a smirking guy by the collar against the wall. Akaashi had heard the saying “if looks could kill” a lot of times, but he’d never experienced the shock of seeing such a look in person. Until now.

Walking quickly, Akaashi placed his hand on Bokuto’s shoulder. “Kotaro?” Instantly, Bokuto’s stiff muscles relaxed and he put the man down. Bokuto spun around, wrapping his arms around Akaashi’s waist. “Kota - Woah!”

Bokuto hauled Akaashi upwards so he was basically sitting on his forearms. Startled and afraid of falling, Akaashi wrapped his arms around Bokuto’s neck. The room filled with cheers and wolf whistles, but Bokuto ignored them. He walked out of the room, not bothered in the slightest by the looks everyone was giving them.

Bokuto carried Akaashi all the way up the stairs, down the hall, and into a bedroom. He set Akaashi down against the wall, caging him between his arms and leaning dangerously close. 

“Bokuto-san?”

“He’s a bastard,” Bokuto said, “thinking he can just buy you from me, fucking bastard.” One of Bokuto’s hands fell down, gripping the start of his thigh, right above his knee. Akaashi made a small whimpering noise when Bokuto’s fingernails dug in but made no effort to push him away. “I was gonna beat him to a pulp for what he said about you.” Bokuto’s attention snapped back to Akaashi’s eyes.

“Bokuto-san.”

“Drop the formalities, Keiji. I’m done pretending like this is all some fake shit. I’ve been wanting to touch you like this for years, and I’ll stop if you tell me to, but I don’t think you will. Will you, Keiji?”

Akaashi shook his head quickly.

“Words, Keiji.”

“No, Kotaro.”

Quickly, Bokuto captured Akaashi’s lips in a searing kiss. It was much more than the first, filled with tongue and teeth, and force Akaashi didn’t know Bokuto could pull off. Bokuto tugged at Akaashi’s bottom lip, groaning into his mouth when Akaashi sucked on his tongue.

All the while, Bokuto’s hand moved up Akaashi’s thigh, pinching and rubbing the skin until his hand finally vanished underneath the fabric of the dress. Bokuto suddenly stopped, releasing Akaashi’s mouth and gripping his thigh.

“Keiji,” Bokuto smirked, nipping Akaashi’s lip, “are you wearing a thong?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *clears throat* ahem, so, uh, I think you can guess what's about to happen


	13. come get your food, you nasties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here! take it! it's not perfect but it's not the worst thing I've written!

“Keiji, are you wearing a thong?”

Though it seemed impossible, Akaashi’s blush deepened. “W - well, I couldn’t we - wear the dr - dress with - without it.” He wasn’t ashamed, more so embarrassed by the situation. If he’d known he would end up in this situation, pressed against the wall, getting felt up by Bokuto, he probably would’ve worn anything but the dress. 

Then again, would he be in this situation if he  _ didn’t _ wear the dress?

Bokuto’s fingers slipped under the thong, teasing the skin before he retracted his hand completely. Akaashi whimpered at the loss, a sound so unlike him it even startled him. Bokuto turned Akaashi’s head, kissing his jaw softly before descending down to his neck to place open-mouthed kisses.

He was careful to not leave any hickeys, as they would surely be seen at tomorrow’s wedding ceremony. Nonetheless, Bokuto’s warm mouth and pressing tongue were enough to leave Akaashi moaning softly. He ran his fingers through Bokuto’s hair, pushing his head down every once in a while to tell him to keep going or to move down lower.

Bokuto moved down Akaashi’s body, kissing every inch of exposed skin as he continued to rub and pinch his thighs. By the time Bokuto was on his knees before Akaashi, lifting his leg over his shoulder to give him better access, Akaashi was already a moaning, breathless mess.

Teeth sank into Akaashi’s skin, pulling a pained but pleasured moan from his throat. Bokuto, encouraged by the sound, continued to bite into Akaashi’s thighs. He bit, licked, and sucked on the skin, painting a myriad of hickeys and bite marks.

“Kotaro, pl - please.”

Bokuto nuzzled into the thin skin between Akaashi’s thigh and stomach. He looked up at Akaashi with a devilish smirk. “Please what,  _ Keiji _ ?” 

Akaashi shuttered. “Ple - please touch me.”

Bokuto hummed, pressing one last kiss to Akaashi’s skin. “That’s all you had to say.” He stood, collecting Akaashi in his hold with ease. His legs hung from Bokuto’s forearms, legs spread wide, and crotch rubbing against Bokuto’s abdomen with every painfully slow step.

Akaashi was thrown onto the bed, Bokuto quickly grabbing his wrists and pinning them over his head.

Huh, this was familiar.

Gaining some confidence, Akaashi hooked his legs around Bokuto’s waist and smirked up at him. “You know, Kotaro, I lied. You did touch me that night - “ Bokuto visibly stilled, eyes filling with fear, “you pinned me to the bed, just like this, and told me how much you missed me. You touched me all over, kissed me softly.” Akaashi tilted his head up, just like the night before. “It was nice.”

Bokuto exhaled. “Fuck, Keiji.”

Licking his lips, Akaashi tugged with his legs so Bokuto was closer. He kissed his ear, then whispered softly, “I want your hands around my neck, Kotaro.”

Bokuto gasped loudly, instantly dropping his head down so he could nibble at Akaashi’s thigh. Akaashi lifted his thigh just a bit in a shaking gesture. Bokuto pouted a bit but quickly climbed over Akaashi’s body to kiss him once again.

As the two kissed, Bokuto’s hand hesitantly came up towards Akaashi’s neck, cupping it slightly. Using only his thumb, he put pressure against Akaashi’s throat. The younger man instantly moaned against Bokuto’s mouth, back arching and pressing himself against Bokuto.

Bokuto groaned at the friction. His cock had already been pushing against his pants, but now it was almost aching. Bokuto quickly reached between him and Akaashi to tug his belt free, throwing it off the side of the bed as he kicked his pants, shoes, and socks off. He sat up just a bit to grab the heels dangling off of Akaashi’s feet, dropping them the second they were off.

“Okay,” Bokuto said breathlessly, straddling Akaashi’s waist. “How . . . how do we want to do this?”

Akaashi turned his head to bury his face in his arm. “I didn’t really expect to get this far. I just know that I . . . I want to feel you.” Bokuto moved just a bit so he could lift Akaashi’s leg over his shoulder. He nibbled behind his knee, basking in the soft pants that came from Akaashi.

Bokuto dropped Akaashi’s legs, moving off of him so he could grab him by the waist and turn him onto his stomach. Bokuto lurched towards the bedside table, opening every drawer until he found what he was looking for; lube and a condom.

Akaashi has his face buried into the bed, ears bright red. Bokuto chuckled, now straddling his legs as carefully as he could. Finally, Bokuto flipped the skirt up and pulled the front to the side, exposing Akaashi’s lower half.

Bokuto could have honestly come from the sight alone, but he managed to collect himself. Using one hand, Bokuto hooked his finger around the thong and pulled it down. Akaashi slightly lifted off of the bed so Bokuto could pull the article of clothing down to his knees. 

“Keiji,” Bokuto mumbled, caressing Akaashi’s neck, “lift your head up for me.” Akaashi did as he was told, lifting his and looking over his shoulder at Bokuto. “God, you’re so beautiful.”

Akaashi made a whining noise. “Kotaro, please!”

“I know, I know,” Bokuto whispered. 

He kicked his boxers off, cock instantly springing up to touch his abdomen. Bokuto leaned over Akaashi’s body, grinding himself against him to let him get a feel. When Akaashi’s breath hitched, Bokuto finally had the mind to ask:

“Have you done this before?”

Swallowing, Akaashi nodded. “Only twice,” he admitted. “What about you?”

“About four, but those were just some dates that went bad.”

Akaashi chuckled lightly, a sound that turned into a moan when Bokuto ground against him. Kissing just below his ear, Bokuto snapped open the cap of the lube, applying a generous amount of it to his fingers.

Bokuto peppered Akaashi's neck, easing a finger into his hole. Akaashi’s back arched a bit, a pained hiss coming from him. Bokuto sucked at the back of his neck, whispering words of encouragement as he slipped a second finger in.

“Doing so good, Keiji, so good.”

“K - Kotaro,” Akaashi whimpered, turning his head so his lips pressed against the palm cradling his face. “H - hurts.”

“Shh, I know, baby,” Bokuto turned Akaashi’s head so he could kiss him softly. “You’re doing great.” Akaashi tilted his head up for another kiss that Bokuto gratefully returned. The two kept at that, kissing softly as Bokuto stretched Akaashi out.

Bokuto slipped his tongue through Akaashi’s lips when a third finger came in, and Akaashi gasped into Bokuto’s mouth. A few minutes into that, Bokuto decided Akaashi was prepped enough, and pulled away from Akaashi’s mouth and his fingers out of him.

Akaashi whimpered at the loss, but he eased his face against the bed, watching over his shoulder as Bokuto tore the condom open with his teeth. Bokuto rolled the condom over his leaking cock, giving it a few pumps before he grabbed the lube once again. 

Bokuto returned to their previous position, cradling Akaashi’s face with one hand while he lined himself up with his hole. Right before he eased himself in, Bokuto bit purposefully hard into Akaashi’s ear, earning a surprised gasp from the younger man.

Akaashi moaned at the stretch, legs squirming from the light pain. It was a couple of minutes before Bokuto was finally in Akaashi to the hilt. Bokuto sucked at Akaashi’s nape, whispering against the skin, “‘M gonna start moving, is that okay?”

Eagerly, Akaashi nodded.

The first couple of thrusts were light but enough to get Akaashi moaning and begging for more. Bokuto eventually sat up, sitting on his knees and holding Akaashi’s waist tightly, and started picking up the pace of his thrusts.

Akaashi buried his face into the pillows, his moans growing louder and more desperate. Even though he was falling into a world of pure ecstasy, Akaashi was still mindful of Bokuto’s family. The family that was judging his every move from the moment he walked into the house.

_ ‘To hell with his family,’  _ Akaashi snapped at himself.

He was completely thrown over when one of Bokuto’s hands let go of his waist, moving to hold Akaashi’s throat. Before he applied any pressure, Bokuto said in a gruff voice, “Put up three fingers if you can’t breathe.” Akaashi nodded quickly. 

Then Bokuto was holding his neck, and Akaashi moaned loudly. Akaashi didn’t have many kinks, but choking was by far his biggest one. He’d been introduced to it during a make-out session with some random guy at one of the parties Suga dragged him to in their college days. The guy had shamelessly pinned Akaashi to the wall by his throat, and Akaashi learned the pure pleasure of having a hand around your throat.

Bokuto’s hand fit around Akaashi’s throat like a custom made necklace. He was a little hesitant, but after a while of him fucking into Akaashi and pressing his fingers into the skin of his neck, Bokuto gained the confidence to be practically strangling Akaashi.

And Akaashi loved it.

He was gripping the sheets, head tilted back just a bit, eyes blown wide with pleasure and drool running down his chin on Bokuto’s fingers. He leaned back into every one of Bokuto’s hard thrusts.

“Ah, fuck, Keiji, you’re so good. Jesus, you’re so warm and tight.” Bokuto’s free hand scraped against Akaashi’s thighs, leaving light scratch marks. 

Bokuto fastened his thrusts so the headboard was slamming against the wall, Akaashi moving up the bed with every thrust before Bokuto pulled him back towards him. Akaashi’s moans were turned into soundless gasps, back arching like a bow.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, Kotaro,” Akaashi’s cry was drawn out, long and quiet. Borderline desperate. “‘S good, so good. You’re so good, so good.”

Akaashi had always assumed Bokuto had a praise kink, that any kind of praise would send him into a feral mode. This was confirmed when Bokuto flipped the position, pressing Akaashi’s knees up to his chest, and set into a relentless pace.

Akaashi held Bokuto under his arms, acrylic nails scratching roughly into the skin. Bokuto groaned. He released Akaashi’s throat, grabbing his hips and pulling him down onto his cock with every thrust. Akaashi moaned in a high pitch.

“There, there, right there, Kotaro. Faster, harder,  _ please _ !”

Bokuto moaned right in Akaashi’s ear, instantly responding to his begs. “Oh, fuck, Keiji! God, I’m stupid in love with you, so stupid, just come!”

Akaashi did, digging his nails harshly into Bokuto’s back, crying loudly and pressing his body against Bokuto’s. Cum covered his and Bokuto’s abdomens, but neither of them cared much. Bokuto was too busy chasing his high, snapping his hips against Akaashi’s.

When Bokuto did come, he growled, biting Akaashi’s ear then licking it.

They lied like that, panting against one another in search of air. The room smelt of sex and sweat, the air was thick. Akaashi wasn’t sure if that was why it was so hard to breathe, or if Bokuto had really fucked him that hard.

Eventually, Bokuto pulled out, taking Akaashi’s last moan of the night.

“We should probably . . . get back to the party,” Bokuto said. He sounded disinterested in the idea, but he ultimately helped Akaashi sit up, checking his dress for any stains. Thankfully, none were found. “Do you need a minute?”

“Mhm.”

Bokuto cupped Akaashi’s face, kissing the tears Akaashi hadn't realized he was shedding. “I’m gonna grab some towels, and make sure no one heard us. I won’t be long.”

Before Bokuto could let Akaashi go, leaving him alone in the room, he pulled him back in for a hug. “I love you, too, Kotaro.”

Bokuto returned the hug quickly, squeezing Akaashi tight. Then he got dressed and left the room, leaving with a dramatic wink to Akaashi, who laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . . . so, uh, they fucked. yay.
> 
> so after this, we're gonna get a little more . . . mature with a lot of fluff and just a *touch* of angst


	14. get the grandparent’s approval and you’re golden

After Akaashi had collected himself, and Bokuto properly cleaned the two of them and the bed, the two returned to the party with very few people staring at them. Bokuto informed Akaashi that no one had heard the two thanks to the walls being thicker than Bokuto remembered. A couple of people had picked up on what the two were doing, but Bokuto managed to convince them they had the wrong idea, or he threatened them into keeping their mouths shut. He saved the threats for his cousins.

The couple moved outside, to the large pool interestingly shaped like a jasmine flower. Outside was another live band, though there was no singer, and a handful of couples were swaying together to the music. One of these couples was Ji and Kazuya.

Bokuto waved the two over to the white standing table they were surrounding, shaking the two colorful drinks he grabbed from Meilin. Ji quickly pulled Kazuya off of the dancefloor, smiling as she jogged over to Akaashi.

“I saw Kotaro carrying you up the stairs~,” she chirped as she pulled out a stick of lipstick, a bottle of mascara, and an eyeshadow eye pallet, “I had this gut feeling telling me Kotaro just wouldn’t be able to control himself with you looking like a whole snack, so I brought these along to fix your makeup.”

Kazuya elbowed Bokuto, chuckling at his flushed expression. “They say at least one couple hooks up at a family gathering, and I’m not surprised it was you two. Don’t you think you did it too soon, though? If Aunt Ena hears about her darling son shamelessly carrying his boyfriend around, she’ll pop a blood vessel.”

“Let her,” Bokuto quickly responded. “She knows what she did, and she knows I don’t have any plans on talking to her.” He handed Kazuya his drink before getting closer to Akaashi. “He looks fine, Ji.”

Ji stuck out her tongue in concentration as she attempted to fix Akaashi’s smeared eyeshadow. “You’re only saying that because this post-sex look turns you on.” Both Akaashi and Bokuto opened and closed their mouths, at a loss for words. They opted to keep quiet, faces red. “Almost done aaaaaand done!”

Akaashi smacked his lips. “Thank you.” Bokuto quickly pulled him in, pressing a long kiss to the top of his head while his hand rubbed up and down Akaashi’s waist. “Kotaro, don’t be so handsy.”

“You shouldn’t have worn this dress! You look so good.”

“Your family is everywhere.” Akaashi looked around nervously. A few tables away, a group of women were staring at them, faces slack but eyes narrowed in judgment. Akaashi placed a firm palm on Bokuto’s chest and his hand instantly froze, resting at Akaashi’s hip. “Thank you.”

Kazuya walked around the table, dropping his head to whisper something in her ear. She glared at him and moved to slap his arm, but her lips turned up in a smile. She winked at Akaashi, shamelessly grabbing Kazuya by the tie and pulling him away from the table towards the house.

Bokuto watched briefly as his cousin and his fiance raced away, no doubt about to pull the same stunt as him and Akaashi before he dropped his attention to the younger male. Laughing a bit, he shook his head.

“I expected that from them; they’ve been fucking on pretty much every surface since the last two months of being engaged. It’s almost concerning.”

Akaashi folded his lips and squinted his eyes. “Are you worried Kisho and Hao will do the same thing?”

Bokuto blanched. “Oh, god, I hope not. It was already bad enough when we lived together, I can’t even imagine how much worse it’ll be when the date gets closer.” Bokuto’s color returned and he smiled. He grabbed Akaashi’s hand, squeezing it before he kissed it softly. “You’ll come to theirs, right?”

“Of course,” Akaashi responded, using his free hand to caress Bokuto’s cheek. “I’ll go to as many weddings you want if it means I can be with you.”

Before Bokuto could swoon dramatically or kiss Akaashi, someone cleared their throat. The couple looked up to see Taishiro staring at them. His eyebrow was raised and he was pointing somewhere behind himself.

“Kotaro, your grandparents are here.”

Bokuto quickly stood up straight, hand sliding off of Akaashi’s waist so he could hook their arms together in a more formal way. “Got it, I’ll go see them.”

“You don’t have to bring Keiji.”

As the couple walked away, Bokuto snapped back, “Don’t I?”

Akaashi shot his gaze to the ground, too scared to look Taishiro in the eyes. He didn’t know exactly what happened in the time between him leaving for the spa and coming to the party, but it couldn’t have been good.

“Um, Kotaro, did something happen while I was gone?”

“Yes,” Bokuto huffed, “She’s gonna get worse, but no one is on her side, besides Dad, I guess.” He sighed heavily, stopping in their movements to turn Akaashi. He cupped his face, pressing their foreheads together.

Akaashi grabbed the hoops of his pants, pulling Bokuto closer. Bokuto tilted his head and kissed Akaashi softly, rubbing his exposed back in circles. Akaashi sighed against his lips; he’d wanted this for years, and it was even better than he could’ve imagined.

Bokuto pulled back barely, his lips brushing against Akaashi’s with every word, “M’sorry my mom is such a hag.”

Akaashi snorted, ducking his head and burying it into Bokuto’s shoulder. “It’s fine, I can manage her. Only for you, though.”

Bokuto laughed, pulling away from Akaashi to tug him by the hands. The two came to the greenhouse, a large building filled with beautiful flowers. Some of them Akaashi could recognize - roses, hydrangeas, petunias, orchids - but there was a large variety he didn’t know in the slightest. 

The greenhouse was a lot less crowded than any part of the party, only the aunts and uncles Bokuto already introduced him to with a couple of cousins. A few of them shot glances at Akaashi, clearly judging him. Thankfully, Bokuto’s cousins stepped him, distracting those judging.

Sitting in the large opening of the greenhouse, at a dark wood table with a beautiful white and pink flower, was an older couple. The man wore a traditional, black kimono while the woman was dressed in pastel pink, traditional Korean dress. Ena, along with Bokuto’s Aunts Min-Jun and Chizue, stood at the side of the couple, talking with the two of them.

The woman quickly noticed the approaching couple, and she stood, pushing passed her daughters so she could hug Bokuto. When she spoke, it was clear and perfect Korean, and Akaashi realized the rut he was in.

“Halmuhni, this is Keiji, my boyfriend. He doesn’t speak a lot of Korean.”

Bokuto’s Grandmother laughed happily, holding her hand out for Akaashi. He quickly wiped his palm and returned the handshake. She used her other hand to hold Akaashi’s hand in place. She flipped it so his palm was placed against her own, and she started rubbing his ring finger.

She said something that made Bokuto turn bright red. Laughing awkwardly, Bokuto turned to Akaashi. “She said your finger has a suspicious lack of a ring.”

It was Akaashi’s turn to blush. He stared down at his hand, watching Bokuto’s Grandma inspect his ring finger. Bokuto said something - Akaashi assumed it was along the lines of “let go of him” - and his Grandma released Akaashi’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Keiji,” she said (thankfully, it was one of the sentences Akaashi understood.

The man - Bokuto’s Grandfather - joined the group. He held his wife’s shoulders and nodded to Akaashi. Thankfully, he spoke in Japanese, “Wonderful to know Kotaro is dating such a nice man. You make him happy, I can tell.”

Bokuto pulled Akaashi in by the waist, kissing his cheek with a smile. “Mhm.”

The married couple smiled. Bokuto’s Grandmother touched her shoulder, and her husband was quick to place his hand atop hers. He rubbed her knuckles fondly and leaned down to kiss her temple.

In broken Korean, Akaashi managed to ask, “How long have you been married?”

“Thirty-seven years,” Bokuto’s Grandfather said proudly, “she’s my pride and joy. Us Bokuto men cherish our partners like jewels, Keiji, you’re very lucky to have snagged one for yourself.”

Bokuto laughed, saying something. Akaashi could only understand two words “I’m” and “lucky”, and that’s all he needed to hear to know what Bokuto said. Akaashi pressed down on Bokuto’s shoulder, giving him easy access to his cheek. He kissed it softly.

“Don’t be too affectionate, boys,” Ena said, voice weakly coaked with venom, “I apologize for them, Father.”

“No need to apologize, Ena dear, they’re just like your Mother and me when we first started dating; affectionate, sappy, and so clearly in love, everyone around us wondered why we weren’t married yet.”

The message Bokuto’s Grandfather was trying to give was not subtle in the slightest. Bokuto’s Grandmother laughed - Akaashi had forgotten she understood Japanese, just couldn’t speak it, and he felt embarrassed for trying to speak Korean - while Ena huffed.

She crossed her arms. “A tad too early for that.”

“But they’ve been in love for years, yes?” Aunt Chizue piped in, waving at Bokuto and Akaashi. “Wonderful to meet you, Keiji, Kotaro has told me SO much about you.”

“He has?” Ena and Akaashi asked at the same time.

Chizue laughed, nodding her head quickly as she ducked under Ena to hug Akaashi tightly. “Yes, yes, so many things! Kotaro loves my advice, and he’d call me at least once a week telling me about the beautiful setter who he just couldn’t stop thinking about! I was so excited when he told me you were coming to the wedding with him but offended he didn’t tell me the two of you were dating! Shame on you, Kotaro.”

Bokuto laughed, rubbing Akaashi’s sore waist when Chizue released him. “Sorry, Aunt Chizue, I just wanted to let things sort themselves. Turns out, Keiji’s liked me as long as I’ve liked him!”

“And it took you THAT long to get together!” Chizue made a loud noise, throwing her hands up and rolling her eyes. “I will never understand this hesitance to confess your feelings! You know, when I realized I had feelings for my husband - Kazuya’s father - I didn’t wait around for him to tell me! I took charge and told him my feelings, now here we are! Happier than ever, and a daughter-in-law on the way.”

“Where is Uncle Hisoka, anyway?”

Chizue waved the question off. “Probably playing beer pong with his brothers, you know how he is.”

Bokuto’s Grandfather laughed. “Maybe we should join them, eh, boys?”

“Oh, I’ve never played,” Akaashi said with a laugh. “I can still watch, make sure Kotaro doesn’t get as drunk as he did the other night.”

Bokuto turned red. “Yeah, still sorry about that.” Akaashi only hummed, rubbing Bokuto’s arm. Bokuto smiled at his Grandfather. “I think it’s best you don’t try playing, Ojiisan, you’re not getting any younger.”

“Bah! I’m just as good as I was when I was your age!”

The entire group took a second to stare at Bokuto. Specifically his muscles.

“Maybe not exactly,” Chizue and Bokuto’s Grandmother laughed, “but I can still hold my liquor.”

Bokuto’s Grandmother hummed. She said in weak Japanese, “You two may go off and make foolish decisions, but I’d like to talk with Keiji more, despite this language barrier of ours.”

“Halmuhni,” Bokuto said, surprised, “you’ve improved!”

“Yes, I have! I blank a bit, but I can hold a bit of a conversation. Come, Keiji, sit with me.”

Bokuto and Akaashi pecked quickly before Akaashi followed Bokuto’s Grandmother to the table, and Bokuto left with his Grandfather to play beer pong. 

Akaashi sat right next to Bokuto’s grandmother, crossing his ankles - like Ji and Hao told him to - and folding his hands over the table. Ena glared at him before she wrapped her arm around Min-Jun, pulling her away from the table. Chizue made a funny face behind their backs for she jogged after them.

Bokuto’s Grandmother placed her hands over Akaashi’s, smiling at him. “Keiji, tell me, what do you love most about Kotaro?”

“His determination, I’d have to say. He’s always been the type to try harder and harder when things got in his way. I’ve never once seen him quit, run away, sure, but he always came back, faster and stronger. He’s a bit silly and sometimes a handful, but he’s loving. Everything he does with me, he makes sure I am comfortable, happy.” Akaashi chewed at his lip. “He’s like a star.”

Bokuto’s Grandmother lifted her left hand, showing Akaashi. On her ring finger was a golden ring, a large magenta jewel as the centerpiece. Akaashi’s breath was taken away; it was a beautiful ring but was expensive. One of the most expensive things Akaashi had ever seen in his life.

“Akiyama and I were dating for six years before he finally asked me to marry him. Every year, I wondered why he hadn’t proposed, my doubts and insecurities nearly overcame me. I was afraid he’d grown tired of me, but I was proven wrong, when one day, Akiyama proposed to me with this very ring. He’d spent three years searching for this jewel, and the other two making the ring by hand.” 

She nodded at the flower in front of them. “That is the flower we had at our wedding - Begonias - and every year, Akiyama will buy me a bouquet for our wedding anniversary. Every day, I am reminded of why I love the man I married. If, and when, you marry Kotaro, you will never forget why you fell in love with him, and how much he loves you.”

Akaashi couldn’t stop himself when he started crying. It was embarrassing, yes, crying in front of a woman he had just met, but every emotion Akaashi had been feeling since meeting Bokuto’s family finally boiled over, and he found himself hiding his face in his hands, crying silently while Bokuto’s Grandmother rubbed circles on his back.

“You’re a wonderful man, Keiji, and as far as I’m concerned, you have my blessing.”

Keiji leaned to the side so his cheek was pressed against Bokuto’s Grandmother’s shoulder. He’d have to hope Ji would come looking for him because if sex ruined his makeup, he didn’t want to know what crying would do.

“Th - thank you, Ma’am.”

“No, no, none of that,” She lifted Keiji’s face, wiping his tears with a tender smile, “call me Halmuhni.”

Midway through Bokuto crushing a red solo cup in his hand, his phone buzzed with a text. He nodded an apology to his cousin - his partner for the game - as he walked off to the sidelines to see who texted him. Akiyama looked over his shoulder to see, as well.

**Kazuya:** come get your mans   
*one attachment image*

The picture was of Akaashi sitting in a chair, eyes closed as Ji reapplied his makeup for the second time that night. Halmuhni sat at his side, holding his hand and rubbing the knuckle. Even with his eye closed and head tilted back, Bokuto could tell he had been crying.

**Bokuto:** What happened?

**Kazuya:** Halmuhni made Keiji cry with beautiful words   
Come get him before she starts talking again

Akiyama chortled. “She has a talent for making others cry with her kindness.”

Bokuto wouldn’t exactly label that as a talent, but he was too concerned with getting his shit together so he could get to Akaashi as soon as possible. He ran past the game of beer pong, not even bothering to tell his cousin where he was going, and towards the greenhouse.

The four were sitting outside of the greenhouse, Ji putting the finishing touches on Akaashi’s lipstick when Bokuto arrived. Halmuhni beamed, scooting over so Bokuto could take her place at Akaashi’s side. Akaashi accepted his hand and allowed Bokuto to kiss his knuckles.

“Halmuhni, what did you say?” Bokuto asked, not even bothering to use Korean. He was resting his head on Akaashi’s shoulder, kissing it every time a tiny sniffle came from the younger man.

Halmuhni chuckled. “I do feel guilty, Kotaro, I do. I might have gotten a little too comfortable with the poor boy and overwhelmed him. I did give him my blessing, though.”

Any family member passing by either stopped dead in the tracks or stumbled over themselves before they ran towards someone further off. Ji dropped her mascara onto the ground, Kazuya froze in his movements to catch it, and Bokuto was frozen against Akaashi’s shoulder. Another sniffle came from Akaashi.

“Halmuhni!” Bokuto cheered, spinning around so he could pull his Grandmother into a slightly-less tight embrace. She laughed happily, returning the hug. “Thank you!”

“Of course, Kotaro! I like Keiji, and you very clearly love him.”

“M’love him too,” Akaashi finally said, holding his hand out for Bokuto to take, which he did. The two scooted close to one another, pressing their head to one another’s and rubbing each other’s knuckles. “Can we go? I don’t wanna cry in front of your family, and I think we’re going to get a lot more attention.”

Bokuto nodded vigorously, kissing Akaashi’s temple. “That’s okay. Ji, Kazuya, can you wait up front with him? I’ll call a car.” The couple nodded, saluting a bit before they grabbed Akaashi by the hands and led him away. Bokuto stood, helping Halmuhni up. “Sorry to leave so soon, Halmuhni.”

“No, it’s fine, Kotaro.” She gestured for him to come down to her height. “Just do be sure to use protection.”

Bokuto shot up, face aflame. “Halmuhni!”

“I’m just being responsible, Kotaro.”

Embarrassed, Bokuto covered his face. “Thank you, I think?”

“You’re welcome.” Halmuhni kissed Bokuto’s cheek. “I like him a lot, Kotaro, please keep him around.”

Nodding excitedly, Bokuto beamed. “I plan on it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE EXPLICIT


	15. let me . . . let me add a bit of /spice/ to that

Bokuto shot finger guns at Meilin as he backed out of the bar room. She waved at him, laughing at his goodbye gesture. Bokuto had finished saying goodbye to his favorite cousins, aunts, and uncles, nodding towards anyone who waved at him. By this point, everyone knew about  Halmuhni giving him and Akaashi her blessing, but he didn’t stop to talk about it with anyone. He was in a hurry to get to the front where Akaashi was waiting for him.

Just as Bokuto managed to get the front door of the house open, a hand grabbed his wrist. Bokuto was unsurprised to see that the owner of the hand was Ena. Her lips were pursed, eyes screaming anger, and she was gripping Bokuto’s wrist like a lifeline.

“Let me go,” Bokuto said quietly, trying to pull his wrist away without hurting Ena. He was easily stronger than her, it would be like pulling a balloon on a string, which was why he had to be careful. Despite his mixed feelings for his mother, Bokuto would never want to hurt her; physically and emotionally. “Please.”

Ena squeezed instead of releasing. “She’s made a mistake.”

“Who? Halmuhni?”

“Yes.” Ena pulled Bokuto away from the door down a small hallway. It was quiet, suspiciously so, and a little dark. “She’s simply pitying you, Kotaro. She’s too nice to tell you the truth, which is that Keiji does not belong here.”

Bokuto heaved. He moved to walk away but was stopped by Taishiro walking down the hallway. Both men crossed their arms over their chests, staring at one another. Bokuto, realizing his father had no intention of backing down, leaned against the wall.

“We’re not doing this right now.”

Ena grabbed Bokuto’s arm. “Words spread fast in this family, Kotaro. Just give us the word and we’ll tell someone that you and Keiji - “

Bokuto swatted Ena’s hand away. “No. We’re dating, we’ll still be dating tomorrow, and the day after that, and after that, too. We’ll still be dating when we get back to Japan. We’ll still be dating in a week, in a month, hopefully in a year. I hope we don’t break up, but when we do - for real - it will not be because you were right.”

Taishiro came to Ena’s defense; “Kotaro, be realistic. This goes far past family honor, think of Keiji. What will happen when the press learns of your relationship? Add public questions and family riches, he’ll buckle under the pressure.”

Bokuto glared. He wanted to stay like that, glaring down his parents, but he remembered Akaashi, waiting outside with Kazuya and Ji, probably laughing. Akaashi who was wearing the prettiest dress Bokuto had ever seen, with makeup. Akaashi who had gone along with Bokuto’s crazy idea to fake a relationship. Akaashi who loved just as much, just as long.

That was enough to make Bokuto push past Taishiro, walking briskly towards the door. He ignored Ena calling after him, ignored his relatives' attempts to keep him back with words, and the second the front door slammed behind him, he jogged down the stairs.

Akaashi was holding Ji’s arm, leaning forward a bit as he laughed at something. Kazuya had his hands thrown up into the hair as he talked animatedly about something. When Akaashi noticed Bokuto, his expression softened.

He walked away from the couple to greet Bokuto with a hug and soft kiss. That small gesture was what Bokuto needed, and Akaashi knew that. He always knew what Bokuto needed to feel like he was on top of the world, and he always gave him that.

When the two pulled apart, Bokuto dug into his pocket, pulling his already ringing phone out. “Hey, Kazuya!” Kazuya quickly turned around, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head in question. Bokuto threw his phone to his cousin. Thankfully, Kazuya caught it. “Next time Mom calls, pick it up, and start reading the Bee Movie Script, can you do that?”

“You ask too little of me,” Kazuya announced, gesturing for Ji to start walking away. “I’ll give it back when we get back to the hotel!” 

Bokuto waved, wrapping an arm around Akaashi and pushing him towards the approaching car. The driver walked out, keeping the door open as he slid the keys over the car towards Bokuto.

Akaashi’s eyebrows flew up. “You’re driving?”

“Mhm, the car is technically mine.”

Akaashi ducked his head to look inside. “How do I keep forgetting how rich your family is?”

“Not sure. Thanks, Min, just tell Aunt Chizue you need a ride back and she’ll handle it.” The driver, Min, nodded with a small smile. He waved to Akaashi before jogging off towards the house. “He and Aunt Chizue go way back.”

Bokuto helped Akaashi into the car, helping him hike up his skirt before closing the door. Akaashi looked around the car. Bokuto chuckled lightly at the way he was hesitant to touch anything but the leather seat. He climbed into the driver’s side.

“Can I get your phone real quick?”

Akaashi nodded and pulled it out of a hidden pocket in the black boa. Bokuto should’ve expected such a thing from Ji’s clothes. Akaashi handed over his phone and Bokuto plugged it into the car’s charger.

“You still have Kuroo in your contacts, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderful. Call Kuroo.”

It only took two rings for Kuroo’s voice to come through the speakers of the car. “Oya? What’s up, dude, it’s pretty late.”

“My Grandma loves Keiji, my Mom’s a bitch, and I’m currently driving away from the party with Keiji in the passenger’s seat - say hi, Keiji.”

“Hi,” Akaashi said shyly.

Kuroo whistled. “Keiji? So, my plan worked?”

“Plan?” Akaashi asked, head darting to look at Bokuto. Bokuto was suddenly thankful for having to keep his eye on the road because he wasn’t sure he could look at Akaashi’s curious expression and not jump him. “You had a plan?”

“An elaborate plan to seduce you, yes - “ Kuroo suddenly cut off with a laugh. “Sorry, Daichi’s drunk - babe, I swear to god, I am on the phone.” There was a bit of rustling, the familiar sound of a zipper, then Kuroo laughing again. “Okay! I gotta let you go soon! Did my plan work?”

“Your plan went out the window when Akaashi walked out of the car in a dress, bro.”

“All my hard work went to waste because of a dress?!” Kuroo sounded genuinely offended, which brought a laugh from the couple. “It better be a sexy-ass dress, or else I’m never talking to you again.”

Bokuto flicked his turn signal with an eye roll. “Yeah, I’ll send you a picture later.”

“Was any part of my plan put into play?”

Bokuto chewed at his bottom lip, shooting Akaashi a glance. He was smiling, chin rested in his palm, as he stared out the window. When he spotted Bokuto staring, he waved through the window’s reflection. 

“Yeah, some.”

“WHICH ONES?!”

There was a resounding smack and Kuroo squawked. “Daichi! My boyfriend just fucking slapped me!” Once again, there was rustling, cursing, and some light laughter. A door closed and Kuroo sighed. “Okay, sorry, which ones?”

“Step fifteen was skipped, there was no confessing of feelings. Step sixteen, kiss Keiji. Step seventeen, fuck Keiji - “ Akaashi looked at Bokuto over his shoulder with a faint blush, “everything before and after that was either thrown out the window or improvised.”

“The most important parts, got it. You’re welcome.”

“Shut up.” Bokuto’s response was weak; he was too busy barely obeying the speed limit as he changed lanes. He wanted to distance himself from his family as much as possible. “I’m gonna let you go because it’s very clear Sawamura wants to suck your dick.”

Kuroo laughed. “You know us so well. Akaashi, my man, welcome to the family - “

“Family?” The couple asked at the same time.

“Me, Daichi, you, Kei, and Shoyo.”

“He was already part of that family,” Bokuto pointed out.

“Isn’t Koshi technically part of that family?”

Kuroo sighed heavily. “Thanks for reminding me I’m the step-mother! Anyways, have fun, use protection, you know the drill. Don’t get preg - “

Bokuto hung up, unplugged Akaashi’s phone, and handed it to him. Thankfully, Akaashi was smiling. Bokuto laughed through his nose, shaking his head. Akaashi turned up the radio and a comfortable atmosphere soon followed.

About fifteen minutes into the drive, Akaashi’s phone buzzed.

“Kazuya says Ena cursed him out once she realized he was quoting the Bee Movie - about around the time of “We’re all cousins” - and finally hung up on him around the time of Barry B. Bensen meeting Venessa.”

“Meeting or seeing?”

Akaashi typed something, and not even ten seconds later, he said, “Seeing.”

“Aw, man, I was hoping he actually got that far.”

Akaashi chortled. “He said if Taishiro calls him, he’s gonna start quoting Shrek.” He looked at Bokuto, waving the phone. “I finally see how the two of you are related.”

“Fuck you.”

Akaashi’s lips curled up into a smirk. “Fuck me yourself, you coward.”

With those five words, the mood in the car shifted dramatically. Bokuto glanced at Akaashi with a soft smirk. “Maybe I will.”

“Good.”

Bokuto nodded, pressing down on the gas. “Good.”

Admittedly, making out in the elevator was probably not the most appropriate thing Bokuto’s ever done, but at the same time, Akaashi tasted like wine and sugar and his nails were deep in Bokuto’s shoulders, pulling him back in every time he tried to pull away. Not his fault.

The second the doors opened, Bokuto stumbled forward towards the door. Akaashi barely held them up, laughing and hissing when his back slammed against the door. As Bokuto tried to pull the room key out of his hands, Akaashi attacked his lips, hands moving down to unbutton his shirt.

The door opened and the two were thrown into the room. Akaashi laughed against Bokuto’s lips. Bokuto kicked the door shut, hands grabbing at Akaashi’s back until he found the zipper to his dress.

They were stumbling in every direction, laughing and pulling one another close. Thanks to a particularly strong push from Akaashi, the couple fell into the bathroom. Bokuto lightly hit the glass shower door. 

Akaashi was quick to shimmy out of the dress, kicking the heels to the side. Bokuto took the liberty of unbuttoning his own shirt, stripping it off as Akaashi closed the bathroom door. Bokuto watched Akaashi lean into the shower, turning on the water.

Within seconds, Akaashi was back on Bokuto, their height difference more noticeable without the heels. The noise of the shower covered the breathless noises coming from both of them. Bokuto was against the cold wall, sucking Akaashi’s tongue and biting his lips. Akaashi was holding his hips tightly.

After a few minutes of making out, Akaashi popped the button of Bokuto’s pants and pulled the zipper down. Bokuto pushed Akaashi so he was off of the wall, kicking his pants off. Their hands fumbled together as they pulled one another’s underwear off. They laughed, breathless but happy.

Bokuto picked Akaashi up by the thighs once again, carrying him into the shower as their lips continued to work together. A nagging part of Bokuto’s mind told him this was going too fast, but then he remembered how many years he’d been pining after the man in his hands - how many days were spent scribbling initials into notebooks, how many volleyballs he’d taken to the face because he was too busy staring, nights spend wide awake as he fantasized about dates and kisses and warm hands on his body - and that nagging shut right the fuck up.

Bokuto moved his lips down, adjusting Akaashi so he was higher, pressed against the wall with his chest on display for Bokuto. Bokuto licked his lips wet before he started pressing kisses to Akaashi’s skin.

Kissing and sucking until Akaashi’s fingers were buried deep in Bokuto’s hair with his head thrown back and breaths short and hot. Those fingers moved down Bokuto’s neck. When Bokuto decided to bite, Akaashi dug his nails into Bokuto’s skin. Both of them hissed at the contact.

“Sorry,” Akaashi whispered, voice weak.

Bokuto dropped Akaashi down a bit, now face-to-face with him. “Don’t apologize,” he mumbled, kissing Akaashi lightly. Akaashi pushed him by the neck, tongue quickly slipping past Bokuto’s lips.

Bokuto pressed Akaashi against himself and the wall, using one arm to support him completely while the other caged his head. Akaashi’s legs held his waist tight. Bokuto’s lips were tingly, bitten, and swollen, and Akaashi’s were the exact same.

Suddenly, Akaashi - somehow - managed to jut his hips forward. Both of them tipped their heads back, groaning at the slick movement. Bokuto kissed Akaashi’s bobbing Adam’s Apple, sucking and nibbling as some encouragement. Akaashi understood the message and repeated his previous moment.

It wasn’t long before Akaashi’s hands were back in Bokuto’s hair, panting and moaning as he rubbed himself against Bokuto’s abdomen. Every now and then, Akaashi would rub against the head of Bokuto’s cock. Bokuto would groan against Akaashi’s skin, desperately chasing out that contact.

When Akaashi’s movements became more sporadic, moans jerked, and hands clinging, Bokuto wedged his hand between the two of them. His hand wrapped around Akaashi’s cock and the younger man whimpered at the contact, hips jerking up. Bokuto moved along with the rapid thrusts until Akaashi tensed up, legs shaking as he came.

“Put me . . . put me down,” Akaashi whispered, and Bokuto quickly complied. Using his limited strength, Akaashi spun the two of them so Bokuto was now the one against the wall. Bokuto watched Akaashi drop down onto his knees. His breath was hot and dense.

“Keiji,” Bokuto mumbled, hand caressing Akaashi’s cheek. 

Akaashi hummed, taking Bokuto’s cock at the base. Bokuto groaned at the light contact. Akaashi started with his fingers, painfully slow movements up and down Bokuto’s cock. Bokuto held himself back from thrusting into Akaashi’s hand. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice Akaashi letting him go, and replacing his fingers with his mouth.

“Fuuuck, Keiji,” Bokuto gasped, his hand that once pressed firmly against the wall now pushing back Akaashi’s bangs. Akaashi looked up at Bokuto through his eyelashes, and Bokuto breathed in tightly. 

Akaashi’s lips barely fit around Bokuto’s cock, his cheeks already hallowing to take him in and tears prickling with tears. If it wasn’t for the way Akaashi’s face was bright red, a determined glint in his eyes, Bokuto would’ve told him to pull off. Instead, he dropped Akaashi’s bangs and cupped the back of his head.

Akaashi took that as confirmation and started bobbing his head. Bokuto moaned lowly, head lolling onto his shoulder. Akaashi’s hands found purchase on his thighs and the muscles tensed at the contact.

Bokuto kept his eyes shut as he moaned, willing himself not to meet every movement of Akaashi’s mouth with a thrust. He almost broke that will when Akaashi said his name, the vibrations sending a new feeling through Bokuto’s body.

“Shit, ah, Keiji.”

Akaashi pulled off with a pop, tongue slightly resting on his lips. Bokuto reached down to rub a bead of precum over his lips. It was a sight, truly, to see the usually composed Akaashi looking absolutely ravaged, lips shiny with spit and precum, eyes rolled up so he could look at Bokuto.

Bokuto never wanted anyone else to see that face.

“You can move, Kotaro,” Akaashi said quickly.

Before Bokuto could even make a sound, Akaashi was placing the head of Bokuto’s cock on his tongue and staring at him expectantly. With an astonished laugh, Bokuto allowed himself to thrust forwards. 

At first, his thrusts could be labeled as cautious, and Akaashi picked up on this instantly. He readjusted himself, pushing against Bokuto’s shallow thrusts until Bokuto’s cock hit the back of his throat. He didn’t gag like Bokuto expected him to.

That was all Bokuto needed to grab the back of Akaashi’s head, fingers tangling in the wet curls, and start thrusting. Akaashi tried to grab the floor for a grip with obvious failure. He resorted to holding Bokuto’s ankles, squeezing them whenever Bokuto tried to slow himself down.

“Keiji, Keiji, fuck, so good, Jesus, fuck.”

Akaashi couldn’t make a noise even if he wanted to. Bokuto’s hand moved from his hair to his jaw. He held it lightly, caressing the skin before he placed a bit of pressure onto Akaashi’s throat. Instantly, Akaashi moaned.

Both of them reacted to the feeling, Bokuto moaning louder and Akaashi tightening his hold on Bokuto’s ankles.

Toes curling, Bokuto warned, “M gonna come, Keiji.”

Taking the warning, Akaashi pulled off of Bokuto’s cock. Bokuto’s other hand swiftly moved down to touch himself, but Akaashi beat him. He placed a kiss on the head of Bokuto’s cock, taking him back into his mouth and swallowing.

Bokuto came soon after, knees buckling as he watched Akaashi open his mouth. Cum rolled from both sides of his face, but he swallowed whatever was left in his mouth. 

Bokuto helped Akaashi stand, kissing his nose. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” His voice was extremely rough, but he didn’t sound like he was in pain, so Bokuto didn’t let guilt overtake him. Akaashi rubbed his eyes. “The mascara is running.”

Bokuto chuckled. “Yeah, it is.”

Ji had been right, the post-sex look on Akaashi was a  _ very _ pleasant sight for Bokuto.


	16. bokuaka has a better relationship than you

Kazuya returned Bokuto’s phone right after round three; Akaashi was lying face down on the pillow while Bokuto answered the door with a complete lack of shame. Thankfully, Kazuya didn’t care in the slightest bit. He was too delighted he managed to get half-way through the “Shark Tale” script when his and Bokuto’s nosey aunts tried to talk bad about Akaashi to even care about walking into a very obvious situation.

“Ena’s furious and Taishiro’s been stoic all night,” Kazuya explained, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk, “Kisho joined in for Shark Tale, by the way, we had an awesome time with the voices.” From behind them, Kisho shot a thumbs up. Hao, who was clearly drunk, grabbed her fiance by the collar and practically fell them into their room. Kazuya leaned in close. “Seriously, though, make sure she doesn’t pull anything at the wedding.”

Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck, shooting a glance to Akaashi, who had pulled on a pair of pants and was tugging off the sheets with a guilty expression. When he spotted them noticing, Akaashi covered his face with said sheets. The two men laughed.

“Yeah, I will. She won’t do anything at the ceremony, she’s not that shallow, but I’ll keep out for her at the reception . . . “ Bokuto grabbed Kazuya’s shoulder and pulled him in close, cupping his ear so he could hear, “Hao and Ji need to look out for Keiji, I’m worried about what she’ll do when I’m not looking.”

Kazuya nodded, saluting Bokuto before he left for his own room. Bokuto waved with a sigh. The second the door closed, Akaashi moved up behind Bokuto, wrapping his arms around him and kissing his exposed back.

Bokuto placed his hands over Akaashi’s, which rested on his stomach. “Tired yet?”

“Mhm,” Akaashi nuzzled into Bokuto’s back, his hair tickling the exposed skin, “I know you said we don’t have to stay, but I’m fine if we stay at the reception for a while longer. I wanna be able to talk with Ji before we leave.”

Bokuto sighed happily. He turned around, hugging Akaashi tightly before the two men walked towards the bed. They fell down, not even bothering with pulling a blanket over them. Even without the smooth sheets, the bed was extremely comfortable.

A bit of shifting around ended with Akaashi’s back to Bokuto, pressed against his chest as he used one of Bokuto’s arms as a pillow. The two held their left hands in front of them, fingers intertwined as they compared sizes they already knew.

“Your hands are a little bigger,” Akaashi eventually pointed out, “your middle finger is longer than mine.” Bokuto hummed, face pressed up to the mess that was Akaashi’s hair. “Your thumb is thicker than mine,” Akaashi continued, wrapping one of his fingers around Bokuto’s thumb and giving it a small squeeze. “Your wrist is thicker, too.”

Bokuto narrowed his eyes. “I get the feeling this has turned into an excuse to feel up my muscles.”

“No, I can do that whenever I want to,” Akaashi emphasized his point by flipping to his other side, and pressing his palms flat on Bokuto’s pecks. “I don’t need an excuse anymore,” He teased, smirk weak but full of confidence.

Quickly, Bokuto pulled Akaashi slightly up, kissing him roughly. Akaashi chuckled against his lips and returned the kiss with just as much hunger.

They were too tired, too drained and sore, to even consider taking it past making out and grabbing at one another’s biceps, abs, and pecs. 

Akaashi was the first to fall asleep, leaving Bokuto awake for a few more minutes. Bokuto played with Akaashi’s hair, spinning his curls around his fingers before letting them go; he couldn’t decide if the extra curl made Akaashi cuter or prettier, maybe both.

Bokuto moved around his shoulder, closed his eyes - and instantly woke up from a text. Groaning quietly, Bokuto grabbed his phone from the charger.

**Wicked Witch of The West (Mom):** Kotaro, you need to stop being foolish. When will you understand we are simply looking out for you? Allowing him to attend the wedding will only hurt him. 

Bokuto closed his phone, tossed it onto the nearest cushioned surface, and pulled Akaashi close. He fell asleep soon after, snuggled up to Akaashi’s warm body with his fingers through his hair.

The next morning, Akaashi had taken the responsibility of folding up their clothes and putting on the new sheets for the bed. Both Bokuto and the employee who brought the sheets insisted Akaashi sit down, but he waved them both off - a lot kinder to the employee than Bokuto, might I add.

Bokuto, wanting to be useful, collected up any dirty dishes or loose pillows. They had one more night at the hotel, then they’d have to get on a plane and go back to Japan. Even though neither of them was saying it, they both had the same thought;  _ ‘What’ll it be like when we get back?’ _

Hopeful thinking told Bokuto he and Akaashi would start living together, but even his common sense knew it wouldn’t be that easy; Akaashi had a job in Tokyo that he took seriously, an apartment, and his own furniture. It wouldn’t be hard for Bokuto to get a bigger apartment, it’d be like buying a cheeseburger for him, but he couldn’t make Akaashi’s decisions.

Bokuto looked over his shoulder at Akaashi. His face was relatively blank, the smallest of smiles on his face as he folded one of Bokuto’s owl t-shirts. Bokuto found himself wishing he could read Akaashi’s mind; it was a familiar thought, one Bokuto had whenever he worried Akaashi secretly hated him.

_ ‘What would Halmuhni say?’  _ Bokuto wondered, thoughtlessly grabbing a throw pillow on the floor. In his mind, Bokuto could already hear his Grandmother:

_ “What’s the point in thinking feelings? Express them, Kotaro!” _

Bokuto sighed. Why not?

He turned around, tossing one of the pillows onto the couch, and walked over to the bed where Akaashi was trying to tie one of his outfits back together. Wordlessly, Bokuto took the outfit from him and effortlessly started tying said outfits together.

“How did you - “

“Before I started playing professionally, I’d help my friend at her store. Made good pocket money,” Bokuto said, handing Akaashi two outfits. “Hey, ‘Kaashi?” Akaashi visibly tensed at the use of his last name. “Sorry, force of habit.”

“It’s fine, what did you need?”

“I was . . . well, what are we going to do when we get back to Japan?”

“What do you mean?”

“I - I mean, will we do . . . long distance? I can afford a train ticket without much thought, but I can’t . . . I’d only ever get to see you in person once in a while, because of my job.” Bokuto fixed the pillowcase, even though it didn’t need fixing. “I don’t really want to do that, but if that’s what you - “

“I - “ Bokuto shot his head up. He wasn’t expecting to make solid eye contact with Akaashi, but here he was, staring into Akaashi’s nervous gaze. “I guess I was being hopeful when I thought . . . well, I - I could always find a new job in Osaka.”

Akaashi hid behind one of the shirts he was holding, bright red ears visible from the sides of the shirt. Bokuto reached out and grabbed Akaashi’s wrists. “Keiji,” Bokuto said quietly, pulling Akaashi’s arms done to see his bright red face. Bokuto leaned forward and pecked Akaashi’s nose. “I’ll help you find one, yeah?”

“Ye - yeah.”

Bokuto smiled softly, pressing his hand to Akaashi’s face. He leaned into Bokuto’s touch with a smile, turning his head just a smidge so he could kiss his palm. Overwhelmed with joy, Bokuto lunged over the bed, tackling Akaashi to kiss his face. Akaashi simply laughed, wrapping his arms around Bokuto’s neck.

When the excitement died down, Bokuto fixed their uncomfortable position. Akaashi was now sitting on Bokuto’s lap, legs wrapped around his waist so Bokuto’s head was resting on his collarbone. Bokuto nuzzled into him, rubbing his legs in a comforting manner.

“How many bathrooms do you want?” Bokuto asked, smiling at Akaashi. “You want a big kitchen or living room? Both? A big bedroom?”

Akaashi laughed, pressing his palm to Bokuto’s mouth. “Let’s get something affordable, Kotaro.”

“Keiji, I’m a professional volleyball player and related to some of the richest people in Korea AND Japan, I could buy us a house if we wanted.”

“We don’t need a house, we don’t need more than one bathroom or a big kitchen and living room.” Akaashi brushed some of Bokuto’s hair out of his face, kissing his forehead softly. “I’m just glad that when we get back to Japan . . . I’ll still be your boyfriend.”

Bokuto squeezed Akaashi tightly. “We could get a cat?”

“Okay.”

“A black one.”

“Okay?”

“Name him Kuroo.”

“Okay, no.”

Bokuto laughed, leaning back so Akaashi was lying on his chest. “I still want a cat. Can we?”

“Of course, I’m not allergic, so it’s no problem.”

“Ah, I love you.”

“I love you, too - now let’s get off the floor, we should get ready for the wedding.”

“So you’re moving in together?” Hao asked, handing Akaashi a plate of bacon. “Haven’t you only been dating for a few months, though?”

_ ‘Two days, actually,’  _ Bokuto thought. He felt a little guilty, lying to his family the way he was. He’d already promised himself he would at least tell Hao and Kisho the truth a few days after the whole We-Broke-Up-Because-Of-Work lie.

Shaking his head, Bokuto smiled. “Yeah, but we’ve been doing long distance for a bit, and I absolutely hate it!”

Kazuya chuckled. “Sounds like you. Won’t you have to find a new job, though, Keiji?”

“Yeah, I will,” Akaashi nodded, playing with a bowl of rice, “but my work has a branch in Osaka, so it should be easy to work out.”

“You work at a manga publisher firm, right?”

Ena didn’t even attempt to hide her amused scoff. Akaashi elected to ignore it and gave Ji a strained smile. “Unfortunately. I wanted to work in literature, though.”

“Well, it’s not literature, but it’ll definitely be more pay; my parents own a magazine company in Japan, and one of the editorial buildings is in Osaka. By next month, I’ll be taking it over as the CEO - “

Kazuya choked on his drink. “Seriously?!”

Ji laughed, slapping his shoulder. “I wanted to surprise you, but now is the best time to tell you guys! Keiji, since you have experience in editing, that'll be perfect for you. The second I become the CEO, you have a guaranteed spot at my company, I promise!”

“I feel like . . . I would be taking someone else’s job,” Akaashi admitted.

Ji waved him off. “No, no! My parents would’ve just kept all the old employees, and I don’t really like a lot of them; I plan on firing at least five of them. One of the people I want to fire is the head editor, and he’s always trying to fight what we want in the magazine. I’ve lost count of how many times a plus-size model has been removed, or how many times clothes made for a male model has been given to a female model just because the clothes were ‘too girly’,” Ji sighed, “I hate him!”

Bokuto plopped his head on Akaashi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about the money, for now, Keiji. We don’t even have to worry about rent, we can just buy the apartment for ourselves. That month when you don’t have a job . . . a personal project, I guess?”

“Make him your personal assistant,” Kisho said, though he sounded like he was teasing. “Imagine Akaashi all dressed up, asking if you need a coffee.”

Akaashi looked purely uninterested by the suggestion and Bokuto looked a little annoyed. “I don’t know how I’d feel about that . . . my teammates would try to use him as their own assistant.”

“ _ That’s _ your concern?!”

“Keiji, don’t yell at me!” Bokuto whined, kissing Akaashi’s neck softly. “Are you gonna take the job or not?”

Ji looked hopeful, holding her hands together as she tried to look professional. Akaashi sighed, nodding his head. That professional exterior collapsed instantly and Ji cheered loudly.

“I haven’t seen her this happy since I proposed,” Kazuya joked.

“Third happiest she’ll ever be,” Hao commented.

Akaashi nodded his head to Bokuto as he stepped out of the room onto the balcony. It was a low chance, but Akaashi created a group call and held his phone to his ear. The ringing was long, but eventually, two voices said at the same time, “Keiji!”

“Hey, Toru, Koushi.”

“Today’s the wedding, yeah?”

“Mhm, then we leave tomorrow.”

Oikawa sighed. “Only one day left to seduce Clone Nick, how devastating.”

Akaashi fiddled with one of his curls. “Uh, well, actually . . . “

“Keiji,” Suga said, “have you already - “

“We fucked like four times last night.”

There was loud screaming on Oikawa’s end. Someone in the background screamed, “Shut the fuck up!” On Suga’s side, there was a loud squawking. Akaashi waited for a good six minutes as Oikawa got told off by whoever he was with and Suga calmed his birds down.

“Congratulations!” Oikawa finally said. “That just leaves you, Koushi~”

Suga simply hummed. 

Akaashi saw an opportunity and took it; “I’m sure if you got in contact with Yaku-san, you wouldn’t be so single anymore.”

“Ope - “ Oikawa said.

Suga laughed awkwardly. “Uh, actually, Morisuke and I . . . are already talking.”

“THEN WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING SINGLE?!” Oikawa and Akaashi yelled. Oikawa, once again, was cursed out while Akaashi turned bright red as a family looked up at him with curious expressions.

Suga laughed. “Well, uhm, I . . . I’m nervous, y’ know?”

“You? Nervous? Didn’t you chug a whole keg shirtless in college? Didn’t you throw Sawamura in a shopping cart then have Asahi push you down a hill? Didn’t you get banned from three supermarkets? Didn’t you get into a bar fight? Didn’t you - “

“I get it! I get it!” Suga hollered. “I just . . . I know I have a lot of confidence when it comes to crazy things, but . . . when it comes to romance, I’m awkward.”

Oikawa went quiet. “Koushi, your advice for me confessing to Iwa-chan was, and I quote, to ‘Stop being the world’s biggest pussy and tell that man you want him to pound you into the mattress’. How the fuck are you awkward when it comes to romance?”

“Yeah, okay, and you got pounded into a mattress eventually.”

“Practice what you preach, Koushi,” Akaashi finally said.

“Coaches don’t play.”

“You mean like you didn’t play in high school?”

The lines burst with screaming; Suga screaming about how Oikawa needed to fuck off, Oikawa screaming that he was sorry and wasn’t thinking, and Akaashi screaming that both of them were fucking stupid.

Oikawa suddenly broke off, “Waitwaitwaitwait! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Don’t hit - AH!”

There was a lot of rustling on Oikawa’s end. There was whispering and cursing and a familiar voice telling Oikawa to shut the fuck up. Eventually, the line got clearer, and that familiar voice said, “Toru’s hanging up now.”

“ . . . Iwaizumi?”

“Yeah.”

“Is Toru in Japan?”

“No.”

“You’re in Argentina?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“ . . . I missed Toru.”

“Aw! Iwa-chan, you missed m-eEEEeeeeE!”

“Don’t abuse him!” Suga screamed. “He’s too pretty to die young!”

Though it wasn’t too clear, Oikawa could be heard saying, “Thank you, Koushi!”

Akaashi rubbed his temples. “I’m . . . hanging up.”

“Aw, Keiji, I’ll miss you!” Oikawa cheered, voice much clearer. “That’s probably a good idea, though, because Iwa-chan’s so angry that I’m talking with you guys because we were just about to have - “

The line cut off. Suga laughed with Akaashi.

“Now that Mr. Dramatic is gone, tell me why you haven’t confessed to Yaku-san.”

“Well . . . he’s in Russia, I’m in Japan. He’s probably already met so many people who are . . . better than me. Besides, who wants to start a relationship that’ll just be long distance? I’m a teacher, I can’t afford to get a ticket to Russia, and Yaku’s always busy!”

Akaashi distantly heard a door opening behind him, but he ignored it. “Koushi, I’m gonna take a page from your book, get your shit together and just tell this man you love him. Long-distance sucks, okay, but look at Toru and Iwaizumi! Sure, they didn’t start off as long-distance, but they were only together in person for three months. Besides, Skype Sex exists.”

A pair of arms wrapped around Akaashi’s waist and pulled him back. “Bold of you, Keiji,” Bokuto said, lips brushing against the shell of Akaashi’s ear. “Now I know where you get all that confidence in bed.”

Akaashi turned bright red, nearly dropping his phone. Koushi’s laugh was high-pitched and hysterical. Akaashi couldn’t even speak, he simply said an unintelligible apology before hanging up on Suga.

“Kotaro, please don’t say stuff like that.”

Bokuto sucked on the back of Akaashi’s neck lightly. “Sorry.”

“. . . it’s fine.”


	17. remember that dash of angst i promised?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this in my intro to childcare class

The one thing keeping Bokuto from picking Akaashi up in his arms and taking him to the bed was Kisho doing what he does best, interrupting people. He walked in right when Bokuto had gotten Akaashi inside and stared at them with a blank expression. He sighed, reminding the two they had to get ready for the wedding, then closed the door, mumbling something about how they were acting like horny teenagers.

While Bokuto groaned in disappointment, Akaashi laughed.

“He’s such a hypocrite! I had to buy noise-canceling headphones when he and Hao started dating, can you imagine how much that sucked?”

Akaashi nudged Bokuto’s arm with his shoulder, a playful smirk on his lips. “Hey, look on the bright side, when we get an apartment together, we don’t have to worry about someone walking in on us.”

Bokuto turned red but glared at Akaashi. “I’m gonna need you to stop talking. Unless you want me to get hornier than I already am.”

Kazuya and Ji were the first ones to leave the hotel; they had their bags packed, ready to be taken to the private condo they were going to right after the wedding reception. Hao and Kisho somehow convinced Ena and Taishiro to leave next, leaving the two couples to get their things together.

“C’mon, Keiji! We need to get dressed!”

Bokuto called, adjusting the sleeves of his jacket. Bokuto wouldn’t personally call red his color, but a lot of people disagreed, including his friend who made him his suit. A parchment white shirt, buttoned down just enough to not be inappropriate, a red jacket that Bokuto was specifically instructed to keep open, matching red pants his shirt was tucked into, and brown shoes. To make it even better, Bokuto had Hao paint his nails a dark red.

“I’m not used to earrings like you, Kotaro!” Akaashi yelled, tumbling through the door with a flushed expression. “Do clip-ons hurt more than getting your ears pierced? Because I might consider it if it means I have to wear more of these.”

Bokuto blinked.

Akaashi was dressed to the nines in a black turtleneck, a sharp black suit jacket, designer black pants, and black platform boots. The boots, Bokuto noted, were not part of the outfit. Ji’s work, probably. The belt he wore was Gucci - “He’s gonna find some way to insist he pays me back,” Bokuto thought - and the silver ring around his finger was bland, but expensive as well.

The last thing Bokuto needed to see today was Akaashi wearing silver cuff earrings - clip-on or not.

“Kotaro, are you okay?”

“Please take the earrings off.”

Akaashi furrowed his brows. “Ji wanted me to wear them.”

“Ji can - kindly - fuck off because these are killing me.” Bokuto sighed, extending his hand to touch the chains of Akaashi’s earrings. He turned pink, shaking his head. “Please?”

Akaashi popped his lips then smirked. “I don’t think I will, no.”

“Damn it, Keiji.”

The door opened, cautiously this time, and Kisho poked his head inside. He was dressed in a simple black suit, the undershirt solid black with a red floral design. Hao stood behind him in an elegant navy blue body dress.

“Ready to go?”

Bokuto looked at Akaashi intensely. He picked up on the message and instantly ignored it, lacing his fingers with Bokuto so he could pull him out of the hotel room. Bokuto sighed heavily, trying his best not to stare too long at Akaashi’s ears.

He’d have to do everything in his power to keep Akaashi from actually piercing his ears. That’d be the death of him.

“Cameras?” Akaashi asked, tightening his grip on Bokuto’s hand.

“Yeah, cameras. A wedding for the Bokuto family means a lot, so at least five magazines will want to get a look, and I don’t even want to imagine how many people will want interviews - “ Hao sighed, covering his face, “Can we please make our wedding small, Kisho?”

Kisho wrapped his arm around Hao, kissing her temple. “Of course.”

Akaashi grimaced. “You didn’t tell me about cameras.”

“I didn’t know about them either,” Bokuto said quietly, though his aggressive tone was obvious. “Kisho, what do you want to do?”

“Fuck tabloid headlines; we pick them up and get inside the building as fast as we can.”

Hao and Akaashi shared skeptical looks. Did they really want to go through with that? On the other hand, would they be able to get through it without that crazy idea? Akaashi didn’t want to find out, so he nodded to Hao.

She sighed. “Make sure my skirt is done, yeah?”

“Of course!” Kisho yelled, instantly placing his hand on Hao’s lap. “I’m gonna carry you bridal style, you know, as practice.”

“Yeah, and we’re disgustingly sweet,” Bokuto said, covering his mouth with his hand. Akaashi snorted. “Are you okay with me carrying you around? I’ll do my best to keep your face hidden - Hao’s already been introduced thanks to social media - but I don’t want to do anything you don’t want - “

Akaashi looked at Bokuto. “Kotaro, if you drop me, I’m breaking up with you.”

“KEIJI!”

The wedding was in a large, circular white cathedral. Outside of the building was a green carpet where Bokuto’s family was standing in front of a large crowd of flashing cameras. Despite the blacked-out windows, Akaashi slumped down in his seat so he wouldn’t be seen.

“You guys go first,” Kisho said, leaning over the open up the door. He exhaled. “Mom is gonna fucking kill us.”

Then the four left the car.

Bokuto was quick, spinning Akaashi around so his face was pressed against Bokuto’s chest, and picked him up by the knees. Akaashi made a noise but gripped tightly onto Bokuto’s jacket, keeping his face down. 

Kisho was shameless in picking Hao up, telling her to hold on as he speed-walked down the carpet with her holding onto him. Bokuto wasn’t too far behind, ignoring anyone who asked him what he was doing or to stop for some questions.

“This is embarrassing,” Akaashi mumbled, face aflame.

Hao mumbled, “I’m not exactly happy about it either.”

The Bokuto siblings hummed, shooting a glare to a relatively persistent reporter.

Standing at the entrance of the building was Ena, dressed in yellow, seething with anger; her face was flushed with embarrassment but her eyes were full of the anger from Hell.

“Kotaro, Kisho, what are you do - “

Bokuto set Akaashi down, wrapping a supportive arm around his waist. Kisho was careful with putting Hao down, asking her if she was okay and if someone looked up her skirt. The two brothers stared at their mother for a few seconds, expressions never changing, then they walked their partners into the building.

Akaashi fiddled with his fingers. “Maybe you should let me talk - “

“No.”

“Kotaro.”

Bokuto’s hold tightened, and his lip slightly quivered. “I’m scared . . . that she’ll say something that will make you . . . leave.”

Akaashi instantly slapped Bokuto’s stomach, face stoic. “I’ve been pining after you since my first year of high school, and you think something as stupid as your mother hating me will drive me away? Maybe I should’ve studied with you more back in school.”

Kisho snorted loudly while Bokuto turned pink. Akaashi reached up, putting away a strand of hair. “I know you’re not that stupid, Kotaro. Besides, you’re fairly good at History, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Bokuto smiled, kissing Akaashi’s wrist. “Sorry for getting so worried.”

“It’s fine.” 

Kisho and Hao waved the couple over, moving down one of the many rows.

The lights inside were dim, the only light coming from the open windows. The room was filled with golden accents, white flowers placed on random parts of the pillars or benches. In the background, there was a harp playing softly.

Akaashi couldn’t stop looking around, admiring the decorations or the architecture, even the outfits that people were wearing. His attention moved over to the front of the aisle, where Kazuya’s groomsmen were. They were dressed in white, undershirts black.

Kazuya wasn’t there.

“Where is he?” Kisho asked, leaning over so he could whisper. “He needs to be there in five minutes.”

Bokuto nodded, shooting a concerned look to the back, where Ji would be coming from.

A lot of other people seemed to be noticing this because the harp music was slowly being drowned out by people whispering. Bokuto and Kisho shifted, standing slightly so they could have a better look around the room.

Everyone shut up when the music got louder, and the doors opened.

“What the fuck?” Kisho hissed, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Kazuya, where are you?”

Akaashi’s eyes watched as Ji’s bridesmaids walked down the aisle; they didn’t look concerned in the slightest. Akaashi tapped the back of his hand against Bokuto’s thigh and he dropped down to sit. Hao imitated the gesture. Kisho shot her a look, sitting down after a few seconds.

“He wouldn’t leave Ji like - oh.”

Hushed murmurs filled the chapel. Ji rested her head on Kazuya’s shoulder as the two of them walked down the aisle together. People eased, standing with relaxed smiles. Kisho exhaled and shook Bokuto’s shoulder. 

“I would’ve killed him,” Bokuto said, nodding his head when Ji and Kazuya looked over at them. Kazuya winked. “Bastard.”

Akaashi smiled softly, mouthing, “You look beautiful,” when Ji made eye contact with him. Her smile widened and Ji nuzzled closer to Kazuya, looking up at him dreamily. Kazuya was looking just as smitten; he looked at Ji with hearts in his eyes.

“They’re so happy,” Bokuto said extremely softly. “I’m really happy you came with me.”

Behind his back, Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s hand. He squeezed it tightly and rubbed Bokuto’s knuckles. Bokuto leaned forward, kissing the top of Akaashi’s head.

“I’m really happy, too, Kotaro.”

Akaashi wasn’t the biggest fan of parties; too many people trying to talk to him, too many bodies pressed together, too much warmth, the music is loud, and the chances of losing who you came with is high. Despite all of this, Akaashi found himself on the dancefloor, holding Ji’s hands as the two of them spun one another around, laughing.

“Can I PLEASE have my wife?” Kazuya whined, wrapping his arms around Ji and tugging her towards him. “Please?!”

Bokuto did the same with Akaashi. “Can I have my boyfriend?”

Ji rolled her eyes, nodding her head to Akaashi before she spun around, taking Kazuya’s hands so the two of them could slow dance - how do you slow dance to a Korean cover of some random pop song?

Bokuto moved his hands down to Akaashi’s hands and started pulling him off the dancefloor. Akaashi cocked an eyebrow, letting Bokuto drag him away from his family. The reception was on a large roof of one of the Bokuto’s hotels, so it was pretty easy to get away from everything.

Bokuto took Akaashi to the very end of the roof, giving them a perfect view of the city at night. Akaashi’s front was against the glass wall keeping him from falling off while Bokuto held him from behind, chin rested on his shoulder and hands playing with his fingers.

“I have a few days left until I have to go back to Osaka,” Bokuto mumbled, “I’m gonna take you on a date. A real one.”

Akaashi smiled, kissing Bokuto’s finger. “I’d like that.”

Bokuto opened his mouth, but was stopped when one of his cousins called; “Hey, Kotaro! Halmuhni is looking for you!”

Akaashi quickly pulled Bokuto’s hands off of him and nodded. Bokuto huffed, placing a kiss to Akaashi’s temple before he jogged away, joining his cousin. Akaashi folded his arms, watching as Bokuto and his cousin speed-walked into the crowd.

He felt vulnerable, and that was his first mistake.

“You look comfortable.”

A chill went up Akaashi’s spin at the cold tone. He tried to steady his nerves as his eyes traveled to the side at Ena. She was glaring at Akaashi, lips quivering with annoyance. Akaashi cleared his throat awkwardly. He wondered how long Ena had been staring there, and he hoped she didn’t hear Bokuto saying they would be going on a real date.

“I - I am, thank you for asking.”

Ena walked up to Akaashi. He stepped back until his back was harsh against the glass door. Ena wasn’t very tall, but her heels gave her the chance to be at Akaashi’s chin. She pointed a finger into his chest.

“All because of you, my family is falling apart.”

That was not what Akaashi was expecting. At all.

“E - excuse me?”

Ena clenched her teeth. “I know you’ll leave Kotaro heartbroken one day, that you’ll just be the boy who couldn’t handle his rich and large family. He doesn’t want to believe it, neither do Kisho and Kazuya, but I know. They have so much faith in you that they’ve pushed me aside. Kotaro said it himself, so long as I hate you, he won’t speak to me, and my feelings about you aren’t changing any time soon.”

“I - I didn’t mean to - “

“Didn’t mean to? You strung him along for years, leaving him to believe his years of love were unrequited, then you come strolling in not even two months ago, telling him you loved him. How can I be so sure you’re not here for money?”

Akaashi opened and closed his mouth, startled. “I - I’m not!”

Ena has a skeptical look. “I don’t believe you.” She laughed. “You’re tearing this family apart. Do you get a sick kick out of this? Are you happy that the second we leave Korea, you’ll be taking my son from me?”

“I - I - no, I - I love him.”

“You love his money.”

“No!”

“You’ll buckle eventually. Either you’ll admit what I already know, or you’ll run off from the pressure.” Ena looked Akaashi up and down, with disgust on her face. “I’ve never hated one of my children’s partners more.”

Akaashi was shaking, tears brimming his eyes as he struggled for words. His breathing was rough and shaky, sweat collecting at his collar. There was nothing to hold onto, the only thing behind him being glass.

“Keiji? Keiji!” Ji yelled, racing over to the two. She grabbed Akaashi by the shoulders, but he pulled away. “Keiji?”

“I - I need to go. Now. I’m sorry.”

Ji opened her mouth, but Akaashi was already running away. He ducked between Bokuto’s relatives, keeping his head down so they couldn’t see his tears and panicked expression.

Finally finding the exit, Akaashi collapsed through the door. He attempted to collect himself and failed miserably. Trying his best to keep his tears down, Akaashi pulled out his wallet. Hoping it was enough, Akaashi sprinted towards the elevator, wondering if he would be able to catch a taxi with his limited money and Korean.

He had barely enough to afford a taxi, but the driver could tell Akaashi was having a rough time even with the large language barrier, so he took pity on the poor man, taking only half of his money. Akaashi mumbled his thanks, leaving the taxi as fast as he could.

Akaashi dug into his pockets for the room key, thankful he found it quickly. Akaashi wasn’t sure how long it took him to get to the hotel room, he wasn’t even sure what he was going to do when he started grabbing his things.

He struggled to take off his clothes, putting them on the bed as carefully as he could. He changed into a pair of jeans on top of his bag and a random shirt that had to be Bokuto’s because it was way too big for Akaashi’s skinnier frame.

“Keiji, Keiji, Keiji!” Akaashi stilled. Bokuto crashed through the door, face bright and panting heavily. His clothing was a bit disheveled, Heaven’s knows why, and his hair was rumpled. Akaashi folded his arms, looking down. “Keiji, what happened?”

Bokuto reached out to hold Akaashi’s face, and as much as Akaashi wanted to let him, he backed away. The expression on Bokuto’s face was enough to let Akaashi’s tears start falling.

“I - why didn’t you tell me that . . . that you and your mom aren’t talking anymore . . . because of me?”

“Be - because I didn’t want to worry you. I - I was going to tell you, I promise! I just wanted to make sure you weren’t - you weren’t nervous for the rest of the trip.” Bokuto tried again to hold Akaashi. He let him this time, but he kept his eyes shut tight. “Keiji, I’m sorry.”

Akaashi shook his head. “No. No, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“Because - because I can’t do this.”

When Akaashi finally opened his eyes, he regretted it. Bokuto’s face was a horrible mix of shock and absolute sorrow. They were both crying at this point, hands frozen as they tried to keep eye contact.

“Keiji, Keiji, no, please. Please, we can fix this, we - we can - we can ask Hao and Kisho for help or - or Ji and Kazuya - “

Akaashi pulled away from Bokuto, grabbing his bags. “I don’t want to be the reason you lose your family, Ko - Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto moved to grad Akaashi’s wrist, but he decided on holding his shoulder tightly. “Keiji, please.” Bokuto searched for words before he finally landed on, “Do you not love me?”

“No, no, I do,” Akaashi fumbled with his bags, trying hard not to look into Bokuto’s broken eyes, “and that’s why I’m doing this. You have a wonderful family who loves you, no matter how cruel they can be, and I can’t ruin that. I never had that and I couldn’t live with myself if - if I was the reason you lost that.”

“Keiji, Keiji, please.” Bokuto fell onto his knees, taking Akaashi down with him. “I - I can live without my mom, okay? She’s cruel and mean and she’s never - she’s never supported what I wanted. I - I love you so much, you’re everything she’s not. Keiji, please, please stay.”

Akaashi’s voice was strained, and the words were enough to finally make him sob; “I can’t.”

Would you rather sit on the side of the road crying, or the bathroom of some random cafe that played shitty jazz music? If you’re Akaashi Keiji, you choose the cafe bathroom.

His phone was blowing up with texts and missed calls, most from Bokuto. Hao and Ji were texting him as if their lives depended on it, telling him that he didn’t need to explain, he just needed to come back. Kazuya and Kisho were calling him, leaving multiple voicemails.

Akaashi wanted to respond to every single one of them, but he held back. He instead looked through his contacts with clouded eyes, finally finding the contact he was searching for.

It took three attempted calls before he answered, but the second he heard Akaashi’s sniffling, he asked, “What happened?”

“Kenma, can I get a favor?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhhh, there's probably gonna be one or two chapters left


	18. i literally took this from crazy rich asians

The summer home technically belonged to Hinata and Kageyama, but Kenma was the one who bought it for them as an anniversary present. When he had casually handed the couple the keys to the house, everyone present wondered what Kenma would be giving them for a wedding gift.

Knowing that Hinata and Kageyama owned the home easily explained the lack of expensive furniture or decorations. The TV was large, one of the largest TVs Akaashi had ever seen in his life, and all the channels were sports channels. That’s fine, Akaashi really didn’t plan on watching TV.

Kenma, despite his rough exterior, was a good friend. He’d booked Akaashi his own plane ticket for tomorrow, coach, but Akaashi was in no way complaining. The calls and texts from Ji and Hao died down a bit, finishing off with the occasional, “I hope you're safe” or “Kotaro is looking everywhere for you”, but those texts and calls started coming from Kuroo and Sawamura.

Kuroo had spent hours sending Akaashi texts, calls, and voicemails, all varying from comforting to threatening to angry. The last voicemail, one of the few Akaashi actively listened to, was soft-spoken; “Akaashi, I know I was being . . . mean in my last couple of voicemails, but . . . Bokuto is a wreck. He loves you so much.”

Sniffling, Akaashi powered off his phone and tossed it to the side of the large king-sized bed he was currently curled upon. Akaashi wanted to sleep, but he didn’t want to close his eyes. He wanted to eat his feelings out, but he didn’t want to get up. 

It was pathetic. Akaashi was pathetic.

He turned onto his side, staring at the open bedroom door as if he was expecting something. Akaashi tugged his glasses off and set them down on the bedside table as softly as he could. He buried his face into the soft sheets, finally closing his eyes and dozing off.

“Wake up! Wake the fuck up!”

Akaashi startled awake, shooting upwards and throwing a punch at whoever was slapping his arm like he was a sack of potatoes. His wrist was grabbed by a second person, who mumbled a curse before shoving Akaashi’s glasses onto his face.

Akaashi blinked repeatedly, the mixture of grogginess and tears and having his glasses shoved on so violently keeping him from focusing on what was in front of him. When he finally did get his vision in place, Akaashi sobbed once again.

Suga looked anything but nice; his eyes were squinted, hair a mess, and clothes baggy. He smelled like oil, fast food, and like the taxi Akaashi had been the night before. Despite all of this, Akaashi lunged forward, burying his face into Suga’s chest and holding his waist tightly.

Akaashi sobbed into Suga’s chest, shaking and mumbling how he wanted to go home and forget all of this happened. Suga didn’t care a lot about the tears on his hoodie. He ran his fingers through Akaashi’s hair, shushing him and telling him everything would be okay.

All while this happened, the mysterious second person was picking up the room, unpacking Akaashi’s bags so they could refold his clothes. They picked up Akaashi’s phone, whistling when they turned it on to see all the missed calls, texts, and voicemails.

“This is insane. If Toru ever did this to me, I’d beat his ass.”

Akaashi sniffled, lifting his head. “Iwaizumi?”

“Hi.” Iwaizumi said, waving the hand holding Akaashi’s phone. He looked similar to Suga, tired, and wearing rumpled clothing. “Kozume called Toru, told him he needed to get his ass to Korea and help, and I quote, ‘This depressed, pathetic, underpaid manga editor’, you have nice friends. Anyway, Toru couldn’t get out, so I took his place.”

Akaashi wiped away his tears. “Were - were you supposed to stay longer?”

Iwaizumi nodded. “Just another day, but, yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

Iwaizumi shook his head. He handed Akaashi his phone with a small smile. “Toru wanted me to come. He skipped traffic getting my ass to the airport in time. As I said, you have nice friends. Sugawara and I met at the airport.”

“I got a substitute for my class, not that it matters. I’m an elementary school teacher, not a professor.” Suga sighed, looking around the dark room. “Keiji, dude, this is depressing. Absolutely depressing. You had himbo of the century as your boyfriend, and you - “

“Sugawara,” Iwaizumi said as a warning, glaring lightly at the man.

Suga deflated. “Right, I’m sorry. Keiji, you’re not a quitter. What happened?”

Akaashi curled up in Suga’s lap. He fell quiet, shoulders shaking and breathing short. He was going to cry again, harder than he was before. Suga, always the chaotic but loyal, didn’t ask questions. He continued to play with Akaashi’s hair while Iwaizumi cleared up Akashi’s phone.

Bokuto sat on the balcony, legs crossed as he sat with his head pressed against the glass. The laughter of families and friends was muddled together, the wind drowning out Bokuto’s rapid and very depressing thoughts. In his hands, he held one of Akaashi’s shirts, one that fell out of his bag when Bokuto was trying to convince him to stay.

Kisho and Hao had been there a few minutes ago, trying to get Bokuto away from his phone as he tried for the thousandth time to get ahold of Akaashi. Kazuya and Ji, despite Bokuto’s begging, stayed behind. Ji and Hao were working on finding Akaashi while Kazuya and Kisho stayed camped outside Bokuto’s room. Ena had tried a few times to talk to Bokuto, and failed every time.

Bokuto sighed, trying once again to call Akaashi. He wasn’t surprised when it went to voicemail, but he couldn’t help the wave of sadness that went through him when he heard the familiar, “Hello, this is Akaashi Keiji, I’m busy right now but I’ll call as soon as I can.”

The phone beeped and Bokuto huffed.

“Hey, Keiji, you already know who it is. I - fuck. I’ve probably said this in every voicemail I left you, but . . . I love you. I love you so much, damn it, and - and I have for so many years. You already know how much I love you, I hope. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Keiji, you’re my world. You’re all I ever need. I - “

“I’m sorry, but this recording cannot be longer.”

The line went dead, and Bokuto dropped his hand.

His mind was telling him to cry, his heart was telling him to scream, but he’d done that so many times before that his body just wouldn’t let him. Bokuto covered his face with Akaashi’s shirt, mumbling curses and weak I love yous into the fabric.

The door slid open, the sound of heels clicking against the floor the only sound registering to Bokuto. He dropped the shirt and huffed. “Ji, please, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to wonder what he’s thinking or what he’s doing. I don’t care what the aunts are saying. I just want to find him. I just want to find him and tell him I love him.”

Bokuto turned his head upwards, words dying at the sight of Ena, staring down at him with red eyes. Her face was free of makeup, no expensive jewelry or clothes. Bokuto wanted to tell her to leave, tell her she’d already ruined it and that Bokuto would never talk to her again.

Instead, he stood up, stared down at his mother, and fell into her open arms as tears he thought he’d already wasted came out. Ena didn’t say anything, she rubbed Bokuto’s back as he sobbed into her shoulder, asking her what he’d done wrong, how he could fix it, and why everything had to suck so much.

“It’s my fault. It’s all my fault, Kotaro,” Ena finally said, voice weak and shaky. Bokuto didn’t need to lift his head to know she was crying. “I - I’m always so scared that - I’m scared that what happened to me will happen to you.”

Bokuto gripped Ena. “What are you talking about?”

“When - when I was younger, I fell in love. I fell in love with someone much poorer than me, but I loved him. I thought he loved me, but - but when I’d given him everything I could, he left. It was all about the money.”

Ena cupped Bokuto’s face and pushed him away so they could look at one another. “Keiji isn’t like that, I should’ve known that. I should’ve trusted you and your heart and him. I’m sorry, Kotaro, and you don’t ever have to forgive me, you just have to tell me that no matter what I’ve said and done, you’ll try to get Keiji back.”

“How - how do I - “ Bokuto looked down at his phone, “how do I even begin to get him back?”

Ena folded her lips, eyes squinted in thought. Her expression brightened when she came up with something. Ena grabbed Bokuto’s phone and Akaashi’s shirt, nodding towards the door. “I have an idea.”

The three of them didn’t have much on them. Suga had one carry-on, Iwaizumi had a singular suitcase, and Akaashi had two bags. They got through everything fairly quickly considering the airport. Maybe it helped that a handful of the employees recognized Akaashi from when he and Bokuto arrived. They must not have heard the news, because they all smiled.

“Your phone hasn’t been going off as much,” Suga mumbled, handing Akaashi his phone. Iwaizumi and Suga had been actively trying to keep it away from him. It was probably because they knew seeing all those voicemails and texts would only make him feel worse. “Daichi texted me a few minutes ago, Kuroo is trying to talk to Bokuto - he’s not answering.”

Akaashi nodded. He dropped his phone into his pocket and looked around for their row. He was zoned out, but Akaashi could still make out someone calling his name. 

“Keiji! Keiji! Sorry, ‘cuse me, I need to get to - Keiji!”

Suga and Iwaizumi shared shocked expressions while Akaashi stared at Bokuto in surprise. He was pushing through people - stopping every now and then to help them put their luggage away - and apologizing. His hair was in its usual spiky style, the one that Akaashi would have never admitted to adoring in high school.

“What are you doing?” Akaashi asked once Bokuto was across from him, the only thing separating them being the rows of already seated people. Bokuto was breathing heavily, but smiling like his usual dorky self. “Please don’t make this harder.”

Suga and Iwaizumi pushed passed, nodding to Bokuto behind Akaashi’s back. Bokuto considered moving through the rows of people but decided against it. Akaashi shook his head and started walking down the aisle, Bokuto followed.

“Listen, listen, Keiji. When younger, I would always ask my parents what they wanted me to do when I was older. They wanted me to go into business, they wanted me to wear fancy clothes and have stylish hair, and they wanted me to marry a nice lady.” Bokuto tripped over someone’s foot, pulling a laugh from Akaashi. “Okay! Sorry!” Bokuto scrambled to his feet. 

Bokuto helped a woman put her suitcase up. “Okay, as I was saying, they wanted me to be part of their mold, be what they wanted me to be. Here’s the thing, I hate business, I hate fancy clothes and stylish hair, and I don’t want to marry a nice lady.”

Akaashi shot a look at Bokuto and tried his best to keep from smiling. “I love volleyball, I love hoodies and t-shirts and shorts, I love spiking up my hair no matter how stupid everyone thinks it is, and what I love most out of everything I love - “ Bokuto looked at the row between him and Akaashi, hissing apologetically before he vaulted over the three people. He fell in front of Akaashi grabbing his shoulders. “ - is you.”

“Bokuto - “

“Please let me finish!” Bokuto laughed, grabbing Akaashi’s shoulders. “I always knew I had feelings for you, from the moment I hit your tosses, I knew, but I didn’t know I loved you . . . until my volleyball moment.” Akaashi’s heart nearly burst at those simple words. “The moment I realized I love volleyball, I realized that I loved you. You made volleyball fun.”

“I always want to be by your side, I always want to see you smiling and laughing and talking about this book I’ll never read because I hate reading. I want you to always be by my side, too. I want you to see me jumping around the court and doing stupid things. I’ve always wanted the world to watch me, to see how great I am, but now I know that all I need is you to see me. That’s because you, Akaashi Keiji, are my world.”

Suga and Iwaizumi were already seated, watching the two of them from over the seat. The entire plane was invested, watching closely as Akaashi struggled to find the proper words. Bokuto didn’t wait for him to find them. He pulled something from the back of his pocket.

Akaashi finally managed to make a noise when Bokuto dropped onto one knee and opened up the box to show a simple golden ring.

“This is really fast, I know that, but - but I’ll sprint if it means I can be at your side every minute of the day. Keiji, I love you so much, and I’ve never loved anyone else. I’ve tried, I really have, but it just hasn’t happened. Akaashi Keiji, will you marry me?”

“Holy shit, Keiji!” Suga yelled. “Say yes!” Iwaizumi slapped his hand over Suga’s mouth, but he was smiling.

Akaashi dropped whatever he was holding, pulling Bokuto up by the side of his head and kissing the life out of him. Bokuto stumbled forward, but Akaashi caught himself. The hand resting on Bokuto’s face was pulled off and Bokuto slipped the ring on.

Akaashi gasped against Bokuto’s lips, fresh tears rolling down his face. Bokuto gripped his waist tightly. They dived in for another kiss. Against Akaashi’s lips, Bokuto said, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

The flight back to Japan was quiet but soft. Bokuto used the excitement of his grand gesture along with the family name to get the group of four into a better place, one where Suga and Iwaizumi could reclaim the sleep they lost, and where Bokuto could keep Akaashi on his lap, covering his face and neck and hands in kisses.

“I’m curious,” Akaashi eventually broke the silence, “where’d you get an engagement ring on such short notice?”

Bokuto, once he was done placing the millionth kiss on Akaashi’s face, hummed. “The devil works fast, but Ena Bokuto in a jewelry store works faster.”

“She - she bought this?”

“She bought it,” Bokuto confirmed. He cupped Akaashi’s face, smiling when the younger male melted into his touch. “You don’t have to forgive her, I haven’t forgiven her either, but . . . she’s sorry. She really is.”

Akaashi nodded. Despite his mixed emotions about Ena, he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude for her. After all, it was because of her Akaashi was now held in the arms of the man he loved, with a - quite literal - golden promise on his ring.

“Bokuto-san, do you have a minute?”

Keiji looked up from his desk, file discarded the second his assistant asked him that question. He nodded, setting down his lukewarm coffee, and walked over to his assistant. She wasn’t holding anything and a quick look outside showed no one was waiting to meet with him, so Keiji stared at her expectantly.

“Your husband is downstairs.”

Keiji brightened, nodding before jogging to the elevator like an excited child. He spammed the button and backed into the corner. He tried to hide his giddy excitement whenever a co-worker walked into the elevator. 

The second the doors slid open, and he spotted his smiling husband, Keiji sprinted towards Kotaro. He hadn’t been gone long, he never left Keiji alone for more than a week and a half, but Keiji had been swamped with work, and coming home to an empty apartment wasn’t the greatest feeling.

Kotaro was quick to capture Keiji in his arms and lift him off the ground, twirling him just a bit. Keiji laughed, cupping Kotaro’s face so he could pepper kisses over it. Everyone in the building knew their boss was married to Bokuto Kotaro and they all knew how disgustingly in love the two were.

“I missed you so much,” Kotaro sighed happily, “Shoyo and Tobio were being all romantic the entire time, made me super jealous.

Keiji hummed. “I missed you, too. Time zones are a bitch.”

Kotaro nodded, capturing Keiji’s lips in another kiss before pulling away, finally putting Keiji back on his feet. “Come with me, I called you out of work - “ Keiji gave Kotaro a thankful but annoyed look, “ - don’t look at me like that! As I was saying, I called you out of work and thought we should go out for food.”

“What’s the occasion? We usually just eat at home when you get back, then have sex and go to sleep. So, what are we celebrating.”

“It’s our anniversary.”

Keiji instantly shook his head. “No, that’s not for another two months.”

Kotaro swung his arm around Keiji’s waist. They walked out of the building, the wind quickly blowing their hair around. Outside, parked on the curb, was a very familiar red car.

“One year ago today, I showed up to your doorstep at 2 AM - “ Keji covered his red face while Kotaro opened up the passenger door, “and I asked you to be my fake boyfriend because I lied to my family - “

Keiji pulled his seatbelt on and said, “Ji still hasn’t let me live that down.”

“I asked you because you were the only person I ever wanted to date. Keiji, it’s our fake dating anniversary!”

Before Keiji could tell Kotaro that no such thing existed, Kotaro sat down into the driver's seat, leaning over so he could give Keiji a searing kiss. Keiji made a surprised noise but returned the kiss happily.

Kotaro pulled away, a lovestruck smile on his face. “I love you, Mr. Bokuto.”

Keiji rolled his eyes. “I love you, too, Mr. Bokuto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey, Hey! Last chapter! This story is a lot different from my last one - Neighbors - because I wasn't rushing to finish it! I either took my sweet time or wrote multiple chapters because I genuinely love this story!


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